


Destiny's Divergence

by Raina921



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama, Eventual Romance, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-01-25 09:37:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 52,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21354154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raina921/pseuds/Raina921
Summary: Jaden Yuki never came to Duel Academy. Instead, it was a coldhearted boy with icy blue eyes that destiny chose to place a heavy burden upon. Alternate Universe anime series rewrite with Aster Phoenix as the main character instead. Eventual Rareshipping.Opinions help! Please don't let the pairing or that this is about Aster deter you!
Relationships: Aster Phoenix/Alexis Rhodes
Comments: 29
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Blackfyre_Phoenix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blackfyre_Phoenix/gifts).

A decrepit-looking station wagon made its way slowly down the streets of Domino City; the driver cautiously trying to avoid the slickness of the roads from the most recent rain. The sky above was still a dismal shade of gray. However, even that seemed to pale in comparison to the mood of the passenger in the backseat of the car. Aster Phoenix sighed inwardly to himself as he looked idly out of the window, his dark blue eyes barely focusing on anything for more than a few seconds. He had not wanted to enroll in Duel Academy. However, he knew all-too well by now that destiny had a way of interfering with his life when he didn’t want it to.

The driver, Esmeralda, who was Aster’s schedule manager for his Pro League career, decided to say something. “I bet you’re glad that I was able to borrow this old junk bucket from Earl for today. Who knows how long you would be held up here if they saw you come out of a limo!” She joked.

Aster smiled wryly. “That’s an understatement. I can’t have anyone recognizing me before I get in there. I don’t want to miss the entrance exam-if you can even call it that-by being held up at the gate by the media. I’ll have to send Earl an appropriate thank-you gift for this. You think he’ll like having about half a year’s worth of paid vacation leave?” He said casually.

“Who doesn’t?” Esmeralda asked with false innocence.

“Us workaholics, of course.” Aster answered in amusement.

After the brief lighthearted exchange, Aster fell back into a glum silence.

“It might not be so bad, you know. You have a chance to duel different people and make some new friends…” Esmeralda said hesitantly. She hadn’t worked for Aster very long, but she already saw that he had started to lose his innocence a long time ago. Witnessing death could do that to a person. She didn’t know what kind of life Aster had lived under the care of his legal guardian before entering the Pro Leagues. But it was obvious to Esmeralda that between that and Aster’s dueling and celebrity career, it felt more like she was talking with a 30-something year old man instead of a teenage boy every day whenever she worked with him. To her, there was something desperately sad about that.

“There’s only one reason I came here. Everything else will just be an inconvenience for me.” Aster replied coldly.

For what seemed like the thousandth time, Aster recalled the conversation he had had with his manager last month.

Begin Flashback:

_ “Duel Academy? Why would I want to go there? I already finished my education after getting my second PhD last year. And I’m already in the Pro Leagues now. There is nothing to gain from attending a school with a bunch of children who have had no real experience in dueling like me.” Aster said into the cell phone as he leaned against the wall, tossing a bottle of water back and forth between his hands. He had just finished running a few laps in the gym in the penthouse suite of the apartment building that he had started living in once his win record in the league had started to resemble a miracle. It wasn’t that different from where he had lived before, even with living alone now. After a few years, the D had pretty much left Aster on his own most of the time to go on more championship tours, so he was used to looking after himself. _

_ “Circumstances have changed, Aster. However adverse you are to it now does not matter. I have already predicted that this is the path that you will follow now. Let’s just say that I have found a…divergence in your destiny.” Aster’s manager, Sartorius, explained cryptically. _

_ “And just how is it a real prediction anymore now that you have told me what has happened?” Aster asked skeptically. _

_ “It wouldn’t matter if I hadn’t told you anything at all about this. You still would have chosen to go to Duel Academy. There are many things that I don’t tell you beforehand that also end up happening. But here is one detail that I will share with you: The one that you have been searching for will be on that island.” Sartorius said. _

_ It took Aster a minute to control his breathing. The one he was searching for: his father’s murderer. This was the real reason behind why he had worked to get into the Pro Leagues, so that he could travel around the world to find him. And now, he finally had a real lead and location. It was too good to be true. No matter how much a waste of time Duel Academy itself turned out to be, Aster knew that he could not pass up this chance. _

_ “Then it is settled. I’ll enroll in Duel Academy as a student.” Aster said firmly. _

End Flashback

“We’re here.” Esmeralda’s voice announced, breaking Aster out of his thoughts.

“Alright. Thanks again, Esmeralda.” Aster said as he started to get out of the car.

“Sure. I’ll call you tomorrow night so that we can go over the details of your matches this weekend. Good luck, Aster.” Esmeralda said with a smile.

“Like I need it! Weekends are going to be my only real challenge when it comes to dueling.” Aster complained. Even though his dueling schedule in the league was going to be severely limited due to being enrolled at Duel Academy-including the loss of any international travel and duels-Aster would still be allowed to have matches at the Kaiba Dome in town during the weekends and stay at his apartment during those days.

After Esmeralda had left, Aster headed quickly towards the main entrance. He was wearing a simple dark blue sweatshirt with a hoodie and jeans in order to avoid anyone recognizing him too easily before he made it inside the building where the testing was taking place.

“Your name, please?” The Academy worker at the entrance asked once Aster was in front of him.

Instead of answering, Aster took a notepad and pen out of his pocket and quickly signed his name. He then handed the sheet of paper to the guard, who did a double-take when he saw Aster’s name.

Before the guard could say anything, Aster silently put his finger to his lips and motioned towards the door with his other hand.

“Please. I need to get inside before anyone sees me.” Aster whispered urgently.

“Of course. Go right ahead.” The guard reassured Aster. He was still looking a bit dazed.

“Thank you.” Aster said gratefully before slipping inside the building.

Xxx

Inside the testing arena, one of the dueling proctors sat down next to a couple others and showed and pointed to Aster’s name on the list of student applicants.

“He’s here. Which one of you wants to test him?” The head proctor asked.

Dr. Vellian Crowler, the head teacher of the Obelisk Blue boys’ dorm-who had also been sitting near the proctors-spoke up. “Now, now, gentlemen. We can’t give this boy a simple test duel. Not only is he a seasoned professional duelist, but he also scored 100% on the written test. I shall duel him personally with my own deck.” He said with a grin.

For a moment, the head proctor looked as if he was wondering if he should object, then changed his mind instead. They couldn’t deny that Aster would probably be able to beat every test theme deck they had made, probably even all their personal ones as well.

“I suppose you’re right, sir.” The proctor agreed, sighing inwardly at the same time because he also knew that Dr. Crowler wanted to do this just to have a little spotlight time of his own.

“WILL ASTER PHOENIX PLEASE REPORT TO DUELING ARENA #2?” A voice boomed over a loudspeaker.

_ Great. Like nobody heard THAT.  _ Aster thought to himself in annoyance as he took out his duel disk and headed towards the arena.

All around the arena, students started conversing excitedly with one another, especially the female students.

“Wait. Did he say, “Aster Phoenix”? What would a professional duelist be doing coming here? He’s already got his whole career set for him!” A boy with spiky black hair wearing the Obelisk Blue uniform asked indignantly.

“Who knows, Chazz? Maybe he just wanted a more “extracurricular dueling experience”?” One of the boys two friends said sarcastically.

“I don’t like this. Nearly everyone here would kill to get into the Pro Leagues early and this kid looks like he is just flaunting his fame all over us by enrolling like this when he already has everything. If he thinks that he can just throw it in our faces that he is better than us, then he’s got another thing coming!” Chazz said scornfully.

In another part of the arena higher up above the stands, two Obelisk Blue students-a boy with longish dark blue hair and a girl with long blonde hair-looked on with interest.

“I’ve heard of this guy before. They say he won 30 matches in a row in the Pro League, making it into the top ten. He’s supposed to be some kind of dueling celebrity or something. Why does even want to be here? I know that I would stay in the League as long as I could if I had the chance to be there…” The girl said.

“That doesn’t mean that he couldn’t learn new things here, Alexis. Besides, this could be just the challenge that I’m looking for. I was getting bored.” The boy said.

“Wow, Zane. It looks like you’ve got dueling fever.” Alexis said with an amused smile.

“We’ll see… But were there always so many…girls here?” Zane asked in surprise as he looked around the arena. He accidentally bumped into another girl who was standing near them.

“Oh, um…hi, Zane.” The girl said nervously, her face turning bright red when she noticed that it was him.

“Hello.” Zane answered awkwardly. The girl then turned her attention back to the arena below where Aster was getting ready for his duel.

Alexis rolled her eyes. “It’s his fan base. But it looks like it still doesn’t make them immune to you, Zane.” She teased.

“Let’s just watch the duel.” Zane said firmly.

“Hello, Mr. Phoenix. My name is Dr. Vellian Crowler, and I shall be your opponent for your entrance exam duel. Since your experience exceeds what we are usually used to testing here, we decided that you deserve a greater challenge than what the usual test decks can provide. I understand that it is still not the same as what you are used to facing by now. But as Duel Academy’s leading professor, I do still hope that you will be able to learn something from this duel. Dr. Crowler said.

Aster pulled his hood down, revealing his striking silver hair. The girls in the arena screamed loud enough to wake the dead. “OH, MY GOD!! HE’S SO HOT!!” “ASTER, I LOVE YOU!!” “MARRY ME, ASTER!!” It was loud enough to bust his eardrums, but Aster managed to ignore them. He readied his deck and dueling disk.

“Not really. I can learn far more on the professional circuit than here. But since I needed to finish testing this new deck out, I suppose that this won’t be a total waste of my time. So, let’s get this over with.” Aster said as he returned his focus back to Dr. Crowler.

Dr. Crowler frowned at Aster’s reaction. Professional or not, he didn’t appreciate a student talking back to him like this. “You may be a pro, but you should still learn to respect your elders. We’ve dueled long enough to learn a few things that might even surprise you!” He scolded.

“DUEL!” Aster and Dr. Crowler both shouted.

“The first move is yours, Mr. Phoenix.” Dr. Crowler said.

“Okay. Not that I’ll need any kind of handicap, though. I set one monster facedown in defense position and one card face down. That ends my turn.” Aster said.

“It’s my turn! First, I play the spell card, Confiscation! By paying 1000 life points, I can look at your hand and choose one card to send to the graveyard.” Dr. Crowler said.

Aster shrugged carelessly as he displayed his hand for Dr. Crowler to see.

_ Hmm… A fairy deck. Probably lots of low level monsters. I guess he wasn’t kidding when he said that he was testing this out. Not a wise decision in a high stakes’ match such as this. It looks like he has some good cards in here, though.  _ Crowler thought to himself carefully.

“Archlord Zerato will do nicely.” Crowler said as he selected it.

Aster didn’t look fazed at all as he discarded his monster.

“Now, I set two cards face down and activate the spell card, Heavy Storm, destroying all of our set spell and trap cards!” Dr. Crowler said triumphantly as a huge whirlwind blew away their facedown cards.

“Widespread Ruin. That’s a nice card. Too bad that it wouldn’t have helped you either way. Now that I’ve destroyed my two Statue of the Wicked trap cards, I get to summon two Wicked Tokens to my field! And I’m sure that a pro duelist such as yourself does not need me to explain why I did that. I will use my Wicked Tokens to tribute summon Ancient Gear Golem!”  **(ATK 3000 DEF 3000)** Crowler said.

Over in the stands, Alexis looked on in awe. “So that’s the professor’s legendary rare monster… To bring it out on his first turn like this! This could be a huge upset.” She said.

“For a normal duelist, yes. But Aster looks bored. I have a feeling that we’ll get to see firsthand just how fast he can adapt to any situation in a duel. He didn’t get where he’s at by being unprepared.” Zane said, keeping his eyes on the duel in rapt attention.

_ Of course. He gets his big monster all loaded up right away when he can’t even ensure a win yet with this attack alone. I’m dueling an amateur.  _ Aster thought to himself in irritation.

“Go, Ancient Gear Golem! Attack his facedown monster!” Dr. Crowler commanded.

Aster’s facedown monster Kelbek  **(ATK 1500 DEF 1800)** disappeared from the field as Dr. Crowler’s monster smashed it with a giant fist.

“When Ancient Gear Golem attacks a monster in defense position, the difference between it’s attack points and a monster’s defense points is dealt to your life points as piercing damage.” Dr. Crowler explained as Aster’s life point counter dropped a bit.

_ This is going great! If I can defeat a pro duelist, I’ll be promoted for sure! Maybe even to Headmaster!  _ Dr. Crowler thought excitedly as he got lost in his own fantasy.

Aster smirked in amusement. “Well, you tried to account for everything: my trap, my hand, and my monster. That is good, but it is not good enough to defeat me. You see, whenever a monster attacks Kelbek, it will be returned to the owner’s hand. Too bad, Sensei~.” He said tauntingly, drawing out the last word in an annoying fashion.

Dr. Crowler blanched as his ultimate monster disappeared from the field to return to his hand in the blink of an eye. “I…end my turn.” He said reluctantly.

**Aster- LP 2800 Dr. Crowler- LP 3000**

Up in the balcony, Zane and Alexis looked on silently in surprise, not sure what to make of Aster’s move.

“Well…that’s one way to deal with a monster like that. I never expected to see it, though.” Zane admitted thoughtfully.

“And now Dr. Crowler’s field is completely empty. Aster must have planned this from the start. But I don’t like the way that he has been talking to him. We’re not supposed to talk to instructors like that. Aster is being a jerk for no reason at all.” Alexis pointed out.

“I must admit that despite his skills, I don’t care for his dueling etiquette at all.” Zane agreed. As a duelist who believed in always respecting his opponents, Zane was appalled by Aster’s comments during this duel.

“It’s my turn. I draw! Now that you have no monsters and no facedown cards on your field, you are completely wide open. And trust me when I say that that is NOT a position that you want yourself in when dueling against me.” Aster warned Dr. Crowler before looking at his hand.

“I activate my spell card, Pot of Greed! I’ll use its effect to draw two cards from my deck.” Aster said.

_ Hmm… Not bad, but I could do better. I should try to finish this as quickly as I can before he can summon Ancient Gear Golem again.  _ Aster thought to himself as he looked at the cards in his hand.

“Now, I activate the spell card, Reload! First, I will put the cards in my hand back into my deck, shuffle it, and then replace my hand by drawing as many cards that I just sent back to my deck.” Aster explained.

_ Perfect!  _ Aster thought to himself with a grin on his face as he viewed his new hand.

“I summon Freya, Spirit of Victory  **(ATK 100 DEF 100) ** in attack mode! Next, I play my continuous spell card, Court of Justice! As long as I have one face-up level one fairy type monster on my field, I can special summon a fairy type monster from my hand one time during my turn. So, I will now use its effect to special summon Guardian Angel Joan  **(ATK 2800 DEF 2000)** to the field. And due to Freya’s effect, she gains 400 attack and defense points!  **(ATK 3200 DEF 2400)** I think you know what this means!” Aster said triumphantly.

Dr. Crowler gulped nervously. He knew that he probably wouldn’t have won this duel anyway, but he hadn’t expected it to end this quickly. Or brutally.

“First, I will attack you with Freya! Technically, I don’t need to since Guardian Angel Joan has more than enough attack points to end this, but this is just more fun.” Aster gloated as Freya zoomed towards Dr. Crowler and hit him in the face with her pom-poms. Aster laughed nastily.

“Now, it’s time to end this! Guardian Angel Joan, attack him directly!” Aster commanded.

**Aster- LP 2800 Dr. Crowler- LP 0 Winner- Aster**

“Yes, well done, young man. I didn’t expect anything less from you! Welcome to Duel Academy!” Dr. Crowler said with a somewhat forced smile on his face. With his dueling results and grade on the written exam, there was no question about it. Aster would be going to Obelisk Blue for sure.

“And you’re a teacher here? Well, maybe they should rethink their hiring policies!” Aster sneered. He had gone too far, and he knew it, but he was too used to dueling like this now.

_ “Once you are in the Pro Leagues, everyone you face will be older, bigger, and have a longer dueling record than you. And they will not let you forget it for a moment. So, don’t let them. Instead, let them know that you are the one who is in control, Aster. Good sportsmanship will get you nowhere. Don’t let them own you. Own them instead.”  _ Aster recalled the D’s words of advice to him from before. They had proved to be more effective than he had ever imagined at the time. Eventually, it got to a point where he even enjoyed trash-talking his opponents sometimes.

Over in the stands, one of Chazz’s friends laughed. “Geez! That guy makes you look nice, Chazz!” He joked.

“Whatever. I don’t care how good he is. There’s only room for one King at this school, and that’s me!” Chazz vowed.

Up on the balcony, Zane shook his head at Aster’s reaction to winning the duel. “That was uncalled for. But it’s about time that there is someone who can pose a challenge to me. This should be interesting…” He said.

“Yeah, well have fun with that, I guess. I don’t want to be anywhere near that guy.” Alexis said in disgust.

All over the arena, Aster’s oblivious fan girls were shouting like crazy while attempting to catch up with him, causing Alexis to roll her eyes.  _ Aster Phoenix? More like Asshole Phoenix. I don’t know how they can still think that he is so great after seeing him like that!  _ She thought to herself in irritation.

_ I’m glad that is over with. Now, once I get to Duel Academy, I’ll be able to concentrate on a much more important matter.  _ Aster thought to himself as he walked towards one of the waiting rooms. He was going to find the bastard who had killed his father and ruined his life and then make him pay. Nothing else really mattered to him. Little did he just how wrong that would end up being…

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Aster stood patiently with the other first year students as they watched the headmaster-Chancellor Sheppard-give them his welcome speech on the large television screen. It had been a few hours since the entrance exam duels, and they were all wearing their new school uniforms that symbolizes which dorms they would be living in at Duel Academy. Of course, Aster had been assigned to Obelisk Blue. He had decided to wear the version of it that contained the longer white shirt and blue pants; the same type that Zane wore. If he had had a choice, Aster would have preferred not to wear the uniform at all, but rules were rules, even for him.

Most of the other students who were giddy with excitement were hanging onto every word of Sheppard’s dull speech. Aster was, too, but for a very different reason. Basically, anyone who worked at Duel Academy could potentially be the person who had killed his father. Before school started, Aster had attempted to run background checks on Duel Academy’s faculty. However, the records weren’t accessible, even for him. If it had been that easy to find any information, Aster could have saved himself the hassle of enrollment. But it looked like the information might only be accessible through some sort of computer mainframe that was only available on campus. Either way, he would have to do some digging, tech-wise and the old-fashioned way.

Xxx

After orientation was over, Aster walked around the island, looking around with mild interest as he made his way towards the Obelisk Blue dorm. He was trying to remain a safe distance from any other students since he had already spent what felt like half the morning being held up by his fangirls form the girls’ dorm and even a few interested male fans of his who had been following his pro circuit career on TV. It was exhausting to have to always answer questions and sign autographs wherever he went, but Aster knew that he had to be amiable towards his fans, no matter how irritated he may become from the constant interruptions.

_ “Remember: Your fans are your lifeline. You must always be polite to them. There are going to be times when you’ll wish that you could just ignore them, but you can’t do that if you want to build up your reputation as a pro duelist. The more likable you appear to them, the better your chances are of getting good sponsors. And good sponsors mean more publicity. And more publicity means more money. I know all of this, because it is part of how I became such a successful Champion. Always take time out for your fans to keep them interested in you. Save any irritation that you have for the arena instead.”  _ Aster recalled the D’s advice to him. He understood the significance of it, but at the same time, it could become tiresome. Sometimes, it felt like half of his life was about turning on a fake smile at the drop of a hat while he recited endless pre-prepared lines that always started a long series of questions.

As Aster passed by the Ra Yellow dormitory, a student with black hair in a neatly-styled haircut approached him excitedly.

_ Here we go again.  _ Aster thought to himself exhaustedly.

“Hello, there. I saw that you were passing by and I figured that I might as well try to talk to you while I had the chance! You’re Aster Phoenix, the professional duelist. I’ve seen a lot of your duels on television. You like to use a lot of different decks, I’ve noticed. I have always enjoyed doing that myself, I admit. Oh, forgive my rudeness. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Bastion Misawa, from Ra Yellow.” Bastion said excitedly.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Bastion. I’m glad that you enjoy my duels. Nothing makes me happier than knowing that I have such supportive fans. It always helps me do better. And it looks like you understand how important it is to try to adapt to different situations in duels.” Aster said, putting his biggest “fan smile” on.

“Thank you. I’ll admit that it sometimes feels like I enjoy building the decks more than dueling itself.” Bastion admitted somewhat sheepishly.

“As long as you understand what’s important.” Aster said.

“I try. I saw your duel with Dr. Crowler during the entrance exams. Your fairy deck seems very interesting. Having cards like Kelbek certainly adds some nice defensive support, I think.” Bastion said.

“Thanks. But I still have to be careful with it. That’s why I added as much drawing power along with Reload to it. Otherwise, it would be hard to pull off the combos that I need.” Aster explained.

“Well, I can certainly see why you are in Obelisk Blue. Between the exams and being a professional duelist, you’ve earned it. But it would have been fun to have you in Ra Yellow.” Bastion said.

“Thanks. But the dorm colors mean nothing to me. It doesn’t matter where they might have placed me or what dorm my opponent is from. Because their chances of defeating me will always be zero.” Aster bragged.

“Confident, aren’t you? Perhaps we can have a duel some time. Or even just some time to discuss deck building strategies.” Bastion offered.

“That sounds good. But I’m going to be busy for a little while. So, I’m afraid we’ll have to wait on that.” Aster said apologetically.

“I understand. I must be going now. It was nice to meet you, Aster.” Bastion said. He held out his hand for Aster to shake.

“Same here. I’ll see you later, Bastion. Just don’t get any ideas about defeating me in a duel, though.” Aster said with a good-natured smile as he shook Bastion’s hand.

Xxx

After arriving at the Obelisk Blue dorm and getting his room assignment, Aster decided to take a walk around the building. He wasn’t sure exactly where he should start gathering information, but he figured that starting out small was best.

Eventually, Aster came to the dueling arena for the students. As he stopped to look at the crest of Obelisk the Tormentor, two students, Raizou and Taiyou, came up to him.

“Well, look who it is. Mr. Hotshot Pro Duelist.” Raizou, the brown-haired one sneered at Aster.

“And look! He actually is capable of walking more than two feet somewhere without a bunch of girls holding his hands!” Taiyou, who had blue hair and glasses, said with an equal amount of venom in his voice.

Aster rolled his eyes. It was rare, but he had come across this sort of treatment before from others about his career. He had found that the easiest way to deal with them was to end the interaction as quickly as possible. But if they challenged him to a duel, that was a different story.

“I’m going to take a guess here and assume that you two aren’t fans of mine. And since I always guess right about this, I’m going to leave now. I have other things to do right now, and I’m afraid that I don’t have time to witness anymore childish envy from losers like you.” Aster said coldly.

As Aster started to walk away in the other direction, the two boys blocked his path.

“You may be an Obelisk like us, but if you think that you can just waltz into Duel Academy and walk all over us because you’re a pro, you’ve got another thing coming! Things are different here, girly boy!” Raizou threatened Aster before giving him a hard shove that caused him to stagger backwards a little.

Before Raizou could even react, Aster had charged at him and pinned his arm back. He then pulled it back roughly until it was in a painful position. Raizou screamed in agony as a slight cracking sound came from his arm. Aster then slammed him onto the ground.

“Don’t touch me.” Aster said with a deadly calmness in his voice as he glared down at the now-whimpering boy. Despite his lithe build, Aster was a lot stronger than he looked thanks to all his time as a professional athlete. You didn’t ski, skydive, surf-along with other sports sometimes-a lot without building up some strength.

“What’s going on here?” Chazz demanded in annoyance as he walked up to where everyone was.

“Chazz! He just attacked Raizou!” Taiyou whined nervously as he pointed to Aster.

“Serves you idiots right. He’s better than both of you combined, so I don’t know why you pulled your old meet-and-greet on him. Save that for if some Slifer slacker ever wanders in here.” Chazz said, not showing any concern for Raizou’s well-being.

Chazz turned to Aster. “So, you’re Aster Phoenix. Your dueling career is impressive, I’ll admit. But despite having the Pro Leagues, along with fame and fortune at your feet, you still chose to come to a school filled with so many people that you could duel circles around. Why?” Chazz asked harshly, but at the same time, there was genuine curiosity behind his questioned.

Aster shrugged carelessly. “Less press to deal with on an island. I really need a vacation from it. And it’s also an island where I can duel. Granted, my opponents here are a joke compared to what I’m used to dealing with. But we can’t have everything, can we?” He lied. There was no way he was going to tell anyone his real reason for coming to Duel Academy. That was private.

“You’re lying. But if you won’t tell me the truth willingly, perhaps a duel will make you be a little more honest!” Chazz challenged as he placed his hand on his duel disk.

Aster grinned confidently. “Bring it.” He taunted as he also got his duel disk ready.

“What are you guys doing here!?” A female voice asked angrily.

“Alexis! We were just, um, having a little exhibition match! You know, pro duelist versus regular Obelisk Blue student! With the pro finding out that he’s not as good as he thought!” Chazz rambled on in embarrassment as he tried to play off the situation. There was a tinge of a blush on his cheeks.

“You should be getting ready for the Obelisk Blue welcome dinner for the new freshmen, it’s starting soon. But you knew that already.” Alexis scolded Chazz.

Alexis’ gaze fell on Aster, then to Raizou on the floor. “You did that to him, didn’t you?” She asked. Even though it was presented as a question, her voice still had an accusatory tone.

“They cornered me, and then he shoved me. What was I supposed to do? Just stand there and take it?” Aster asked in annoyance.

Alexis fumed silently, not sure how to respond to that. “Either way, you should be getting ready for the welcome dinner too since you’re a new student.” She finally replied, changing the subject.

“Is this mandatory?” Aster complained. He wanted to start investigating for any leads to his father’s murderer, not wasting his time at some stupid dinner party that was just going to be filled with losers like Chazz and his cronies and more of his over-excited fanboys.

“Yes, it is! What did you expect? This is a school and schools have rules. But it looks like you consider yourself above the rules.” Alexis said in exasperation. She then turned around and started walking away. It was just like she thought. Aster was nothing but trouble and a royal pain in the ass to deal with.

  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

The Obelisk Blue welcome dinner was just as bad as Aster had thought that it would be. With all of his excited fans continually pestering him, it almost seemed more like the “Aster Phoenix welcome dinner” instead. Chazz and his groupies (except for Raizou, who was too terrified to even make eye contact with Aster) would occasionally stop eating to give him the evil eye. On the other hand, Dr. Crowler was acting as if Aster did not even exist, and that suited him just fine.

Once the dinner was finally over, Aster decided to head back to his room for a few minutes to figure out a plan of action to start his investigation. He figured that he would have to sneak out of the dorm, so he wanted to make sure that he could find a way for no one to see him.

As Aster started to open the door to his room, he saw the door to the room next to his open. A boy with long dark blue hair stopped short when he saw Aster.

“You’re one of the new freshmen. I saw your duel at the entrance exam. Aster, isn’t it?” The boy asked casually. Aster was fervently glad that this boy hadn’t mentioned his last name, but at the same time, he had a feeling that he knew who he really was. Whatever the reason, Aster appreciated this tactfulness. It was as if he somehow knew that Aster didn’t want any more conversations about his celebrity status.

“Yeah, that’s me. How come you weren’t at the welcome dinner?” Aster asked.

“It’s only mandatory for first year students to attend, so I took that opportunity to stay here instead. I guess you could say that I’m not big on social events. But I was still hoping to get a chance to meet you, so I waited. I’m Zane Truesdale, third year.” Zane introduced himself.

“And I’m guessing that you have a particular reason for waiting to talk to me alone like this?” Aster asked carefully.

“Your dueling skills. They’re impressive. And I don’t say that to just anyone. To be honest, it’s been a long time since anyone here has been able to provide a good challenge for me. I’ve been bored. But now that you’re here, I think that I have found one.” Zane said with a grin.

“You’re a bold one, aren’t you? But something tells me that you just might have a good reason for believing that you have a chance against me. Why don’t we duel right now and find out?” Aster challenged Zane with a grin that mirrored his. He couldn’t explain how exactly, but he had the feeling that Zane wasn’t just another overconfident Obelisk fool who believed that he could defeat Aster. There was something in his eyes that told him that Zane had the skills to back up his talk. There was a rare battle aura surrounding him that Aster usually didn’t sense in other duelists that he had faced before.

“Sorry, but that will have to wait for another day. When I see a good opponent, I like to have the time to get to know them first before a duel.” Zane apologized.

“If you think that researching my duels here is going to give you an advantage over me, you’re wasting your time. I don’t lose.” Aster stated bluntly.

“Neither do I. But I wasn’t talking about your cards. I was referring to knowing my opponent.” Zane said.

“In other words, keep your friends close, and your opponents even closer, huh? Interesting. But you do understand that one of us has to lose, right?” Aster asked.

“Yes, and it won’t be me.” Zane said with a smile.

“And we’re back at square one again.” Aster said in amusement.

“For now, it looks like. But once I feel that the time is right, I’ll challenge you to a duel.” Zane promised.

“Looking forward to it already, Zaney. I’ll see you later, I guess.” Aster said.

“Sure. I’m in the room next to yours, so feel free to let me know if you have any questions about it here or anything. I’m always willing to help out the freshmen if I can.” Zane offered. With that, he nodded to Aster before returning to his room again and shutting the door behind him.

Aster sighed to himself wearily as he entered his own room and started arranging his belongings in it. Zane was too observant for his own good. It wouldn’t bode well for his investigation if students started to take notice of him leaving the dorm at odd hours.

As Aster was folding his clothes, his PDA rang. Annoyed by the interruption, he quickly snatched it up to view the message he had just gotten.

“Hey, Pro League Boy. Why don’t we finish what we started earlier today? I challenge you to a duel. Come down to the arena in about half an hour. I’ll be waiting.” The video of Chazz said cockily before fading out again.

Aster rolled his eyes in annoyance at the message. This was an irritation that he did not need right now when he had already planned to sneak out of the dorm tonight to start looking around the island. But since he never ran from a duel challenge, he would have to put things on the back burner for tonight. Chazz would just have to learn the hard way what so many others before him had: You don’t win a duel against Aster Phoenix.

Xxx

“Good. You’re right on time.” Chazz said to Aster as they both took their positions across from each other in the dueling arena.

“And utterly wasting my time.” Aster complained as he readied his duel disk.

“I’ll make you eat those words! I may not be a pro duelist like you, but I was the best back at duel prep school before I came here, so I’m more prepared than most of the other students here!” Chazz said.

“Duel prep school? What is that? A slightly crappier version of this place?” Aster asked, feigning innocence.

“Enough of your wisecracks! It’s time to duel! And if I win, you have to tell me the real reason why you came here.” Chazz warned Aster.

“Fine with me since I won’t lose. When I win, no more challenging me to duels at night.” Aster said.

“Whatever! DUEL!” Chazz shouted.

“I had a feeling I’d find you guys here…” Alexis interrupted. Chazz and Aster stopped what they were doing to find her standing next to the side of the dueling platform with her arms crossed.

“Hey, Alexis. Did you come here to watch me take down Pro League Boy?” Chazz asked in what was supposed to be a flirty tone.

Alexis rolled her eyes. “No. I just happened to be passing by. You guys are cutting it a bit close for a duel, don’t you think? Curfew will start pretty soon.” She warned.

“All the more reason why I want to finish this quickly. But I can’t do that as long as you keep showing up to interrupt me like this, so either be quiet and watch, or leave.” Aster said dismissively.

Alexis fumed silently. Maybe she wasn’t used to boys talking to her like this, but she still had no idea what she had done to deserve this. For a guy who was worshipped by god-knows how many girls, Asshole Phoenix sure didn’t know how to talk to one properly, the same for the guys. How was it possible for someone so cold and arrogant to be loved by so many people around the world? Did he just hate anyone who didn’t worship the ground he walked on? Or was it something else?

“How dare you talk to Alexis like that!” Chazz said furiously.

Aster shrugged carelessly. “You can let your cards do the talking. I’ll let you make the first move.” He said.

“Okay! First, I’ll place one monster face down in defense position. Then, I’ll set one card facedown. That ends my turn.” Chazz said.

“Okay, my turn. First, I play my field spell, The Sanctuary In The Sky! As long as it is in play, fairy type monsters are protected from any battle damage that they take.” Aster explained. The scenery around them changed to a clouded blue sky with a shimmering golden palace-like structure behind him.

“Next, I summon Asura Priest  **(ATK 1700 DEF 1200)** in attack mode. It can attack each of your monsters once, but since you only have one right now, you don’t need to worry about that. However, the drawback is that Asura Priest will return to my hand after it attacks. Now, attack his face down monster!” Aster commanded.

Asura Priest ran forward and attacked Chazz’s face down monster, Reborn Zombie  **(ATK 1000 DEF 1600)** , sending it to the graveyard. It then disappeared from the field to return to Aster’s hand.

“What’s the point of that monster? Now you can’t even rely on The Sanctuary in the Sky to protect your life points if you need it since you don’t have any fairies on your field!” Chazz scoffed.

_ Oh, but that is where you are so wrong...  _ Aster thought to himself in amusement. His plan was already falling into place.

“You’ll see soon enough… I set two cards face down and end my turn.” Aster said.

“Heh. Dumb move. You’re going to regret leaving yourself wide open like that, because I’m going to finish this in one go! First, I activate my trap card, Call of the Haunted. I’ll use its effect to bring back Reborn Zombie! Next, I’ll tribute Reborn Zombie to summon Mefist the Infernal General  **(ATK 1800 DEF 1700) ** in attack position!” Chazz said.

“Is that supposed to scare me? He’s weak.” Aster said in a bored tone.

“He won’t be after long! But first, I need to get rid of those face down cards of yours. I don’t like the looks of them. So, I activate the spell card, Heavy Storm!” Chazz said.

“Not gonna happen! I activate my counter trap, Divine Punishment! As long as The Sanctuary in the Sky is on my field, I can use this card to negate the activation of a spell, trap, or monster’s effect! So, my cards are still safe, and Heavy Storm is destroyed! Did you really think that I would let you get away with that?” Aster said.

“Dammit! But I can still attack you! I equip Mefist the Infernal General with the Axe of Despair, raising his attack points by 1,000 ( **Mefist the Infernal General ATK 2800 DEF 1700** ). Attack, Mefist!” Chazz said. Normally, he wouldn’t act so recklessly in a duel, but Aster was grating on his nerves.

“Amateur. I activate my trap card, Defense Draw! I take no damage from your attack and get to draw one card from my deck!” Aster said as he drew a card from his deck.

“Argh! Luck of the devil!” Chazz complained in frustration.

“No, it’s not luck. It’s just that you suck.” Aster said casually.

“Big words. But I’d like to see you try to summon something stronger than Mefist and turn this around in just one turn with those weak little fairies of yours! I end my turn!” Chazz said.

“It’s my turn. I would advise you to be careful what you wish for, but it’s already too late for that now…” Aster said with a devious smile as he eyed the cards in his hand.

“I summon Warrior of Zera in attack mode!  **(ATK 1600 DEF 1600)** ” Aster announced.

“But he’s not a fairy…” Chazz trailed off in confusion. He somehow had a bad feeling about this.

“No, but I will use him to bring out one. When The Sanctuary in the Sky is on the field, I can tribute Warrior of Zera to special summon Archlord Zerato!  **(ATK 2800 DEF 2300)** But that’s not even the best part! While The Sanctuary in the Sky is on the field, I can discard one light monster from my hand to the graveyard to use Zerato’s effect, destroying all monsters on your side of the field!” Aster announced triumphantly.

“What!? No!” Chazz protested.

“I’m afraid so. Remember when you were wondering why I played Asura Priest? Well, this should answer your question. I needed a light type monster back in my hand, so I decided to make use of its effect. I planned this out from the start as soon as I saw my cards. It doesn’t matter what you do, because I’m always three steps ahead. Now, use your effect, Zerato!” Aster said as a beam of light obliterated Chazz’s monster.

“Now you have nothing to protect you. Zerato, attack him directly!” Aster commanded.

Chazz staggered backwards from the force of Zerato’s attack. He couldn’t believe that he was being pushed into a corner like this so quickly, even if it was from Aster.

Aster laughed obnoxiously at the damage that he had just caused. “I end my turn. You should give up now and save yourself from any more embarrassment.” He taunted.

**Chazz LP- 1200 Aster LP- 4000**

Over on the side, Alexis was watching the duel with a slight expression of awe on her face. Despite how much she disliked Aster, she still couldn’t help being impressed by his moves, just like at the entrance exam. He somehow always seemed to have just what he needed prepared for each situation he was in and counter his opponent flawlessly. It was almost as if he knew everything that was going to happen beforehand.

_ It’s really too bad that he’s such a jerk. Otherwise, we could have a good duel. _ Alexis thought to herself regretfully.

“I won’t! Because it’s not gonna end like that! My turn! I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards from my deck!” Chazz said. He breathed a slight sigh of relief as he looked at what he had just drawn. Hopefully, this would be enough for him to get back on track and turn things around in his favor.

“Now, I activate the spell card, Hammer Shot! It destroys the monster on the field with the highest attack points! So, you won’t be enjoying Zerato anymore!” Chazz said as Zerato was blasted into pixels from the giant hammer.

Aster didn’t even flinch as he watched his strongest monster get destroyed. “And?” He questioned carelessly.

“And… I summon Chthonian Soldier  **(ATK 1200 DEF 1400) ** in attack mode. Now, I attack you directly!” Chazz said.

“Tch. You’re on your last legs, I see. You are only just managing to draw anything that will keep you alive for another turn.” Aster said as his life point counter dropped slightly.

“Who cares!? I’ll take any chance to take away your life points! I end my turn.” Chazz said.

**Chazz LP- 1200 Aster LP- 2800**

“My turn. I summon Hysteric Fairy  **(ATK 1800 DEF 500) ** in attack position. Now, attack his Chthonian Soldier!” Aster commanded.

“You destroyed Chthonian Soldier with your monster’s attack, so its effect now activates, causing you to lose the same amount of battle damage that you gave to it!” Chazz said.

**Chazz LP- 600 Aster LP- 2200**

“I can’t even begin to tell you how little that means to me.” Aster said.

“Maybe you’ll change your mind during the next turn. Just watch! I’ll find a way to get rid of four-eyes over there!” Chazz boasted.

“Unfortunately for you, there is not going to be a next turn.” Aster said.

“What do you mean? Hysteric Fairy is your only monster on the field and you’ve already attacked with her. What else can you do!?” Chazz asked somewhat nervously.

“Just this. I activate the quick-play spell card, Celestial Transformation, from my hand! Its effect allows me to special summon a fairy type monster from my hand! So, I special summon Kelbek in attack mode! Due to Celestial Transformation’s effect, the monster’s attack points are halved, and it will be destroyed during my end phase. But we both know that that doesn’t matter since it already has more than enough points to wipe you out!  **(Kelbek ATK 750 DEF 1800) ** Now, Kelbek! Attack directly so that we can end this duel and say good riddance to this loser!” Aster said.

“Nooo!” Chazz yelled as his life points dropped to zero. He couldn’t believe it.To be humiliated like this in front of Alexis was a nightmare.

**Chazz LP- 0 Aster LP- 2200 Winner- Aster**

“I win, just as I knew that I would. You put up more of a fight than the teacher, although that’s not really saying much. Don’t waste my time anymore.” Aster said.

“Whatever. That was just a test deck I was trying out to see how you duel! You haven’t seen my real strategies yet!” Chazz argued.

“So was mine. I haven’t even taken the time to build my real strategy for it. Not that it mattered this time.” Aster said.

“You won this time, but this isn’t over yet, Aster! I won’t lose to you the next time we duel!” Chazz vowed. He then turned around and stalked angrily out of the dueling arena.

_ He still wants to duel me again? That’s weird. Usually, no one ever wants to see me again after I defeat them. That’s some real pride. Or maybe just stupidity.  _ Aster thought to himself in surprise.

After Chazz had left, an awkward silence hung in the air, at least for Alexis. A part of her wanted to congratulate Aster on the duel, but she also didn’t want to feed his ego anymore than everybody else already was.

“You could try being a little more polite when you duel. Chazz may be a jerk, but there’s no reason to fall to that level. When all’s said and done, this is just a game, you know.” Alexis said.

“Polite? Heh. You’re naïve if you think that everyone is going to give you that courtesy during duels if you ever make it to the Pro Leagues. Duels are about winning, and words can play an important part in that, too. Even your boyfriend understands that.” Aster explained.

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Alexis protested.

“I don’t think that he realizes that, so you might want to tell him that.” Aster said.

“What do you care?” Alexis asked in annoyance.

“I don’t. It was just a piece of advice. And I’ll also give you another: Don’t count on everyone being as soft to you as you think they should. I can already tell from how upset you were about it that you are probably used to your opponents giving you the nice treatment.” Aster explained.

“What do you mean by “nice treatment”!? My opponents have always treated me how any decent human beings should act towards a person in a duel!” Alexis said in frustration.

Aster sighed and shook his head. “I could spell it out for you. But trust me when I say that you really don’t want me to go there.” He said.

Alexis’ face turned bright red as she realized what Aster was implying. “You’re right. I really don’t.” She agreed shortly.

“Good. Just make sure that you remember what I’ve told you.” Aster said. He then turned around and started walking away down the hallway, looking briefly over his shoulder to smirk at Alexis before disappearing around a corner.

Once Aster was gone, Alexis stuck her tongue out childishly at where he had just been. He had some nerve. She only hoped that he had just been referring to dueling with his last comment. His other implication was too disgusting for her to even want to think about.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

Aster pulled roughly on the handle of his gym locker. But it just wouldn’t budge.

“Oh, come on! Not now!” Aster said in frustration.

“Having problems?” Zane asked casually as he entered the locker room. They had both came to the school gym early in the morning to run some laps. Zane, because he liked to get an early start. Aster, simply to avoid almost every girl in Duel Academy because of what they would be trying to see during regular hours: Aster Phoenix in gym shorts.

“Yeah, I can’t open this damn thing to save my life!” Aster said angrily. He then proceeded to kick the door of the locker open.

“Hey! Easy there. There’s a better way to go about this.” Zane warned Aster.

The locker door tumbled open and fell off its hinges, revealing the source of its reluctance. A ton of envelopes sealed with heart stickers cascaded out of Aster’s locker like an avalanche.

_ Geez, I should have known.  _ Aster thought to himself ruefully.

“What’s this “better way”? Because this isn’t a problem that is just going to solve itself.” Aster said as he started to reluctantly pile the love letters into his backpack, knowing that he had to be polite to his fans.

“I’ll introduce you to Stan, the janitor. He’s my best friend. And he’ll be yours too soon enough.” Zane said flatly as he carefully opened his own locker to reveal a pile of love letters that was almost as big as Aster’s.

“But what am I going to do about this right now?” Aster asked as he eyed his open locker door.

“You can use mine for today.” Zane said as he carelessly deposited his love letters into the trash can without another glance.

“Thanks, man! I owe you one!” Aster said gratefully.

As Aster started to leave the room, he stopped to stare at the trash can for a second.  _ Man. That is just cold…  _ He thought to himself.

Xxx

For what felt like the thousandth time, Alexis checked the clock on the wall of the classroom, willing its hands to move faster. It was only the first week of classes, but they were already becoming unbearable due to the presence of a certain pro duelist. Because the professors were the ones who moved around from classroom to classroom, the students’ seating arrangements were the same for every class. And of course, Alexis had been given the misfortune of having a seat right next to Aster’s. Even though almost every other girl in Duel Academy would have killed for this, Alexis just found it annoying. Aster never spoke to her, but his cell phone continually vibrated with text messages for him. The name, “Emeralda” continually showed up on the screen under the photo of a lavender haired woman with the looks of a supermodel. Alexis guessed that it was Pro League-related business and that Aster had been given special permission to use his phone in class as long as he kept it on vibrate. But she still found it unfair that he was given special privileges that the other students didn’t have. The constant buzzing sound of the phone and Aster typing out his replies like crazy while barely even glancing at the screen was starting to drive Alexis up the wall.

“Now then, who can explain field spells and their effects to me?” Dr. Crowler asked the class.

Alexis’ hand shot up. She was desperate for anything to spare her ears from Aster’s texting, and because she had also noticed Dr. Crowler eyeing the Slifer section of the classroom, no doubt looking for a victim to bully.

“Yes, Ms. Rhodes?” Dr. Crowler asked with a smile.

“A field spell is a spell card that can affect the whole state of the duel for the card’s controller or both duelists. It is placed in a separate space called the “field zone” away from where spells and traps are normally activated. Depending on the card itself, field spells can have a variety of different effects, from increasing a certain type of monster’s attack and defense values, to being able to reuse cards again with the card, Fusion Recycling Plant. Field spells can be destroyed and removed from the field with cards like De-Spell or Mystical Space Typhoon, stopping their effects. You can also only use one field spell at a time, and this also applies to your opponent’s usage of them during a duel. So, if they choose to activate a field spell while you already have one out, it will cancel out yours.” Alexis explained.

“Bravo, Ms. Rhodes! Just what I would expect from one of my Obelisk Blues!” Dr. Crowler gushed.

“Heh. Then I guess that you don’t expect that much to begin with.” Aster spoke up smugly. He hadn’t even bothered to raise his hand and wait to be called on.

“Excuse me!? And just what was  _ that _ , Mr. Phoenix!?” Dr. Crowler asked sharply.

“What I mean is that Ms. Rhodes failed to mention a couple of other details about field spells. For one thing, what she said about only being able to use one field spell at a time isn’t completely accurate. You can also replace your own field spell with another one of yours to use its effect again, depending on its effect. For example, you could use Aroma Garden’s effect to boost your monsters’ attack twice in one turn by replacing it with another copy. It is also possible to set a field spell face down in the field spell zone so that you can wait to activate it later.” Aster explained.

Alexis glared at Aster. Of course she had already known about everything he had just said. She had just forgotten to mention those details because she had been in such a rush to answer the question so that she wouldn’t have to hear his stupid cellphone buzzing away for one second. Did he have to be an asshole and make her look like a fool in front of the whole class? Of course he did. This was Asshole Phoenix after all.

“This is what you teach them? Everyone’s gonna get slaughtered at the league then. If they even make it there, that is.” Aster scoffed to Dr. Crowler.

The rest of the class looked stunned. Obelisk Blues usually stuck together. To see one embarrass another publicly like this was unheard of, especially when the one being picked on was the Queen of Obelisk Blue herself. Not to mention that Aster had also talked back to an Obelisk professor. More than a few of the other Obelisk Blue boys were glaring at Aster now. And the Slifers’ and Ras’ expressions ranged from disbelief and disgust. It was only the girls-minus Alexis-who were oblivious to Aster’s comments and continued to gaze adoringly at him.

“Perhaps if you had waited before you had interrupted me so rudely, you would have heard me get to that part of the lesson, Mr. Phoenix. But it appears your attention has been divided during most of my class. Your device is a disruption in itself, so I must ask you to turn it off unless you wish to leave.” Dr. Crowler said, pointing at Aster’s cellphone, which had started to vibrate again.

“I’ve been over this with the Chancellor already. I need to hear my phone in case I have to set up any meetings or go over anything for my matches this weekend. But if I have to leave class to do it, that’s fine by me. I mean, it’s not like I’m actually learning anything that I don’t already know.” Aster said. He was trying to call Dr. Crowler’s bluff by using the teacher’s obvious dislike for him to get out of class.

“I’m afraid that I’m not feeling so generous today, Mr. Phoenix. But if you do wish to contribute anymore to my lectures, kindly remember to  _ raise your hand _ before speaking out again.” Dr. Crowler answered stiffly, not willing to give in to Aster.

Xxx

Dr. Crowler walked down the school hallways, silently fuming to himself. Not only had Aster made him look like a fool during the entrance exam, but he also had the nerve to talk back at him during his own class! Normally, he liked his own students from Obelisk Blue. But this little brat was a different story. If only there was a way to get him out of Duel Academy for good…

As he rounded a corner, Dr. Crowler saw Aster standing around with a small group of girls surrounding him. There were duel monsters cards scattered around him in a pile, and from the tone of his voice, it looked like Aster was advising them about the game.

“-is what should happen. But you also want to be able to stall a little if you can when you use this deck.” Aster was explaining carefully. The girls were watching him with rapt attention.

Dr. Crowler grumbled to himself. Who did Aster think he was? A teacher!? That was supposed to be  _ his  _ job! This was getting out of hand. He had to do something.

Just then, Dr. Crowler noticed someone passing by who also apparently did not have a favorable opinion of Aster. It was Alexis Rhodes, one of his star students. Dr. Crowler watched as she paused to glare angrily at Aster from across the hallway.

“Ms. Rhodes failed to mention a couple of other details about field spells!” Alexis mimicked sarcastically in what was a poor imitation of Aster’s voice. She then lightly kicked the wall in frustration before stalking away in the other direction.

Dr. Crowler had watched the whole scene thoughtfully, an idea forming in his mind. Perhaps Aster did have one weakness to be used against him…

Xxx

Later during gym class, Dr. Crowler made his way to the boys’ locker room. He had devised a plan to get Aster in trouble, and with a little luck, he didn’t see how this could go wrong. From what Dr. Crowler had observed, almost the whole female student population worshipped Aster, and he relished in the attention. Women were his Achilles’ heel, and for Aster, being ignored by one was like a sin. From what he had heard, Alexis had not kept her dislike for the boy a secret, and that was where this plan came into motion. If Aster was made to believe that Alexis had developed a sudden change of heart towards him, he would probably not be able to resist a chance to see that in person. The boy treated his fans well, so he would take the opportunity to meet one of them. Even if it meant going near the girls’ dorm after hours. Dr. Crowler had no doubts about Aster taking the risk. He had already proven that he thought he was above the rules more than once with assaulting Raizou, talking back in class, and the special privileges the higher faculty had granted him. But if this worked, Dr. Crowler would make sure that Aster wasn’t given any lenience this time. He would be expelled on the spot and would then be free to go back to his cushy little Pro League life that he went on so much about.

After checking to see if the coast was clear, Dr. Crowler quickly sneaked into the locker room and pushed the letter through one of the open slots of the locker. He knew that it was Aster’s because he had seen him put something away in it earlier today. Now, all he had to was wait…

Xxx

Zane walked into the locker room, eager to get his things so that he could hit the showers and get ready for his next class. Since the third-year students had different class periods for gym as well, he hadn’t seen Aster since this morning before class. As he was collecting his clothes, he noticed a piece of line paper with writing on it. Even though he was dreading another love letter, the fact that it was already opened piqued his curiosity enough to read it.

Zane smoothed out the paper and read the letter:  _ From the moment we first met, I did not think that you would end up having this effect on me, but now I can say for certain that I have fallen in love with you. You are the most incredibly fascinating, charismatic, and handsome boy that I have ever met. I cannot stop the rapid pounding of my heart or how my knees go weak every time we are in the same room together. The way you walk, talk, duel… Everything you do is absolutely mesmerizing. You are the prince that I didn't even know that I had been searching for, and I don’t know how I never realized this before. I have written this all down because I was too afraid to tell you these things in person. But now I would like to see you so that we can hopefully discuss the wonderful future that I believe we can have together. Love, Alexis Rhodes _

Zane frowned slightly as he finished reading the letter. This didn’t sound like Alexis at all, but what if he was wrong? Could it be possible that she had somehow started to develop these kinds of feelings about boys and that they had just happened to fall on him because of the time they had spent together due to them both knowing her brother and trying to find him?

_ If this is some kind of prank, it sounds like one that Atticus would like to play…  _ Zane thought to himself somewhat sadly as he remembered his friend.

Zane knew that he had to talk to Alexis about this so that he could find out what was really going on here. If the letter was a joke from someone, then that was fine. But if he was wrong (and he prayed that he wasn’t), then Zane would have to set things straight with Alexis and let her down as gently as he could.

Xxx

“So, spill it! If you could choose any boy here, who would it be, Alexis!?” Jasmine asked her friend excitedly. It was nighttime, and Alexis and the others were sitting around the comfortable living room of the Obelisk Blue girls’ dorm.

“I’ve already told you this. I’m only interested in-“ Alexis started to say exasperatedly.

“Yeah, yeah. We know! Dueling. Alexis, you are letting so much go to waste here!” Alexis’ second friend, Mindy, said.

“Especially with who is here this year! For me, it’s Aster Phoenix, hands down! He isn’t just the hottest boy in this whole school, he’s the hottest in the whole WORLD! No, make that the UNIVERSE!” Jasmine gushed excitedly.

“Totally!” Mindy agreed. She and Jasmine both sighed dreamily.

Alexis rolled her eyes. She had already had to listen to this conversation more than enough. And not just from Mindy and Jasmine. Aster was the number one topic of conversation in the girls’ dorm. And those conversations were one-hundred percent about swooning over him.

“Come on, Lex! You gotta admit that Aster is perfect! He’s smart, rich, a professional duelist, and totally gorgeous!” Jasmine insisted.

“Aster is a complete asshole. He’s rude, arrogant, and insensitive. Not to mention that he talks down to other students and teachers and treats his opponents like dirt during duels. Frankly, I don’t know how anyone can like him with how he always makes it clear that he believes that he is better than everyone else. You guys can say what you want, but I’m telling you right now that Aster Phoenix is the absolute last guy in this school that I would choose to be with if I was forced to pick anyone. No, make that the whole UNIVERSE.” Alexis said in disgust.

“How can you say that!? Aster is really sweet! He takes the time to give us dueling advice after class and even helps us go over our decks!” Mindy insisted.

“Yeah! Since he’s been giving us advice, I’ve been kicking ass in my duels lately! Look, he even gave me this card!” Jasmine said excitedly as she practically shoved a card in front of their faces.

“Obnoxious Celtic Guard? Heh! He should have kept that one for himself! It suits him perfectly.” Alexis sneered.

“It’s almost as cool as the one he gave me!” Mindy said as she gazed adoringly at the card, Shining Angel, in her hand.

“Now whenever we duel, it will be like Aster is always with us…” Jasmine said dazedly. Mindy nodded in agreement.

“It doesn’t change the fact that he’s still a jerk to everybody else, especially in duels.” Alexis pointed out.

“That’s just dueling trash talk. He does that to psyche his opponents out. I mean, even great duelists like Seto Kaiba and the King of Games himself would do that during their duels and everybody still loves them. And who cares about the other boys and teachers like Crowler!? They are the real jerks here!” Mindy said.

“Yeah! Crowler is such a loser! It was so funny when Aster told him off today in class!” Jasmine said. 

Alexis simply frowned at her friends. They were on Team Aster Phoenix all the way and there was no going back.

“Well, I guess it is kind of understandable that you aren’t interested in Aster, Alexis. After all, you already have Zane!” Mindy teased Alexis.

“What are you talking about!? You know that Zane and I are just friends!” Alexis argued.

“Yeah, sure! That’s why you guys are always having all of those little dates at the lighthouse practically every night!” Jasmine teased.

“I’ve already explained about that. Zane is helping me look for my brother. We’re not like that.” Alexis said calmly.

“It’s too bad. He may not be Aster, but Zane’s almost just as good if you ask me. He’s still totally hot and one of the best duelists here!” Mindy said.

“Hmm… I would sure like to see a duel between Aster and Zane! I wonder who would win?” Jasmine pondered.

“Zane would, of course. He duels respectfully, and that is something that Aster could stand to learn about.” Alexis said firmly.

“Suure you don’t like him.” Mindy said, stretching the words out doubtfully.

At that moment, Alexis’ PDA rang, saving her from more teasing. Or so she thought…

“Alexis, do have a little time tonight? I need to talk to you about something.” Zane asked over the PDA, causing Mindy and Jasmine to squeal in excitement.

“Okay, I guess. But what is this all about?” Alexis asked curiously. She was hoping against hope that Zane had found a new lead about Atticus.

“I would…rather not say at this moment.” Zane said hesitantly. His gaze shifted uncomfortably towards Mindy and Jasmine for a moment.

“Um, okay.” Alexis said agreed, even more curious as to what in the world was going on here.

“Thanks. I’ll be by the lake area just out of bonds of the girls’ dorm. I’ll head there now, so just come on over when you’re ready.” Zane said. The PDA screen then went black.

“Definitely sounds like he wants a date this time!” Jasmine said.

“He was just TOO secretive during that call! Maybe he plans to confess his love to you, Alexis!” Mindy said dreamily.

“I seriously doubt that. But even if he did, he would be in for disappointment. I’m going now.” Alexis announced.

Xxx

Dr. Crowler waited in anticipation behind some bushes near the lake. It would only be a matter of time until Aster made his way here to go to the girls’ dorm. He snapped to attention as he heard footsteps approaching. This was it!

_ Zane Truesdale!? What is he doing here!?  _ Dr. Crowler thought to himself in surprise. Even worse, Zane didn’t seem to be going any further, choosing instead to lean against a tree. Dr. Crowler got nervous. If Aster still decided to show up, this could be a diversion.

“Hey, Zane. I hope you didn’t have to wait too long. So, care to explain what all of this secrecy is about? You didn’t…hear any news, did you?” Alexis asked cautiously.

_ And now Alexis is here, too! But this is too far from the dorm! And why is Aster not here yet!? No, no! This is going all wrong!  _ Dr. Crowler mentally cursed his misfortune.

“I really wish that I had, but unfortunately no.” Zane said reluctantly.

“So, then?” Alexis pressed.

“Ah…right. How should I explain this?” Zane said somewhat awkwardly.

“You’re acting really weird, Zane. Seriously, just tell me what this is about! It’s driving me crazy!” Alexis said impatiently.

“Okay. Well, I guess I’ll just jump into it then. Did you write me a letter by any chance?” Zane asked.

“A letter? No, I didn’t. Why would I when we could just use the PDA or talk like this?” Alexis asked suspiciously.

“I didn’t think that you did. It’s just that I found this in my locker today, and it says it’s from you. Why don’t you take a look at it?” Zane suggested. He then handed Alexis the dreaded love letter.

_ Nooo! How on earth did he get that!? This means that Aster never even saw it! My whole plan is ruined!  _ Dr. Crowler thought miserably.

Alexis read the letter carefully, rolling her eyes at the contents. It was only when she saw her name signed on it that she got angry.

“Who the heck would write something this stupid and pretend that it is me!? This is a sick joke! Please tell me that you didn’t think that this was from me, Zane!” Alexis said furiously.

“I didn’t really. But I also wasn’t completely sure in a way.” Zane admitted.

“What makes you say that?” Alexis asked.

“Well… I don’t really know a lot about how girls think. So, a part of me wondered if maybe you were starting to get interested in dating and that kind of stuff. I don’t know… I was worried that you were having a hard time with Atticus being gone and that maybe you just got confused and were starting to see me in a different way since we’ve spent a lot of time together trying to find him.” Zane explained.

“You definitely don’t need to worry about that, Zane. I don’t feel that way about you. You feel more like an older brother than anything else. Maybe just a more responsible and mature one than Atti.” Alexis explained, joking a bit with the last sentence.

“That’s good. I didn’t want to have to have the talk with you.” Zane said with relief.

“The talk? Okay, now you’re scaring me, Zane.” Alexis said.

“What? Oh! You thought I meant “The Talk”, not the talk! God, no. I would never subject you to  _ that _ !” Zane said wearily.

Alexis laughed lightly at Zane’s response. “You know, it’s almost a shame that you’re only interested in dueling. I may not feel that way about you, but I’m sure that a lot of girls would be very lucky to have a guy as nice as you, Mr. Truesdale!” She teased.

“Well, I’m afraid they would just have to be disappointed then. As it is right now, I really am only interested in dueling.” Zane said.

“And that’s why we make such a good team!” Alexis said with a smile.

“Looks like we found the lovebirds!” Came a voice from behind Alexis and Zane. Mindy and Jasmine were standing there grinning.

“I should have known you guys would follow me.” Alexis said with a sigh.

“Hey, Zane! How are you doing? We heard about your duel the other day! About how you finished off that guy in one turn! That’s incredible!” Mindy said excitedly.

“Thank you. But it really wasn’t anything very special. We were just using decks designed for one-turn kills for that assignment.” Zane said modestly.

“But it was still really cool! You’re one of the best duelists here along with Aster! Maybe you could even beat him!” Jasmine said.

Alexis had to refrain from rolling her eyes. She knew that Mindy and Jasmine would never be suggesting this if Aster was here instead.

“As he is now, Aster can’t defeat me.” Zane stated simply, not even explaining what he had meant by that.

“So, what was all of the urgency about here? If you won’t tell us, we’ll just form our own conclusions.” Mindy warned Alexis and Zane with a devious grin.

“Someone pulled a prank on us by giving Zane this falsely under my name.” Alexis said disgustedly as she handed Mindy and Jasmine the letter to read.

“Oohh! Too bad this isn’t real! Zane could’ve been your perfect prince alright!” Jasmine said delightedly.

“I just want to know who actually wrote this trash!” Alexis complained.

“Hey! Wait a minute! It says right here that this letter is addressed to Aster Phoenix, not Zane!” Mindy exclaimed. She flipped the letter over to the other side that they had somehow missed all this time.

“WHAT!? Gross! What kind of idiot would ever think I’d be interested in HIM!?” Alexis asked in utter horror as she snatched back the letter. She shuddered at the thought of what could have happened if Aster had seen the letter instead.

“Then why did I- Wait. That must be it. Aster’s locker was broken today, so I let him use mine. Whoever put this in there had obviously thought that it was his.” Zane said thoughtfully.

“But that still doesn’t tell us who did this and why!” Alexis said.

“You’re right, it doesn’t.” Zane agreed.

“So, what should we do now?” Alexis asked.

“Well… maybe Aster has some idea about this.” Zane suggested.

“On second thought, forget it. I’d rather not find out if it means I have to deal with him.” Alexis said.

“It doesn’t have to be as bad as you think, Alexis.” Zane argued.

“How so as long as it has anything to do with Aster?” Alexis complained.

“Hear me out here, Alexis. I know that you said that you can’t stand talking to Aster. But how would you feel about dueling him?” Zane asked with a smile as a plan started to form in his head. This was just the opportunity he needed to observe Aster’s skills again. And maybe to see if there was any hope towards his suspicions about Alexis’ behavior…


	5. Chapter 5

“You want me to duel Aster!? You can’t be serious!” Alexis protested. As much as the duelist part of her was excited by Zane’s idea, she still couldn’t help feeling that it was downright ludicrous.

“I am serious. And what is the problem with it? I would think that you would welcome an opportunity to test your skills against a tough opponent like him.” Zane challenged.

“But that  _ is  _ the problem. I don’t think that I’m ready to duel him yet... He’s a professional duelist, for god’s sake! And besides, what makes you think that Aster would even agree to duel me in the first place? Except for maybe you, he thinks that everyone else here is a waste of his time. Also, I’m not exactly his favorite person in the world.” Alexis argued.

“You’ll never be ready for a lot of duels if you worry about losing them. If anything, this is a chance to duel someone on a level you won’t find here. You could learn a lot.” Zane reasoned.

“Okay, I get where you’re coming from. But that doesn’t change the fact that Aster is probably not willing to come all the way out here just to duel me.” Alexis said.

“Maybe he will. If he doesn’t think that  _ you  _ are the one that he will be dueling…” Zane said suggested cryptically. This was where his plan would come into action.

“Wait. Do you mean that…” Alexis trailed off; already having guessed at what Zane was going to do.

Zane took out his PDA, but before he turned it on, he turned to face Alexis, Jasmine, and Mindy.

“I’m going to call Aster now and ask him if he wants to duel. So it’s important that he doesn’t know that you guys are here while I talk to him. We need to make it look like  _ I’m  _ the one who is challenging him to a duel if we want him to come here.” Zane warned the others.

Alexis, Jasmine, and Mindy nodded firmly. The latter two of the group looking more excited about this than anything else.

“Alright, here goes…” Zane said as he dialed Aster’s number.

Xxx

Aster looked up curiously from the pile of cards on his desk that he was fine-tuning into another deck when he heard his PDA rang. Seeing as how everyone’s numbers were listed in the Academy directory, he had had to block his number from a large number of the student population (mainly his fangirls, who had started calling a little  _ too  _ much for his taste. So that left very few people who could call him now. He had kept Zane on the list in the hopes that he would challenge him to a duel one day and also because Zane was fairly easy to talk to in general. Bastion also occasionally with questions or ideas about deck building, and since he didn’t call  _ too  _ often, Aster hadn’t blocked his number from him either.

Hoping that it was Zane, Aster answered his PDA.

“Aster, sorry to bother you at this hour. If you’re not busy, how about a duel?” Zane’s voice came through the PDA.

“Oh, what’s this? Finally decided that you’re ready for a real challenge, huh? Of course, I accept! Where do you want to do this?” Aster said excitedly.

“I’m near the lake by the girls’ dorm right now. Meet me there.” Zane said.

“Is there anyway we could have it somewhere else? I try to stay away from there if I can.” Aster asked somewhat awkwardly.

“Don’t worry. It’s not close enough and everyone is inside by now. Just go the way from the boys’ dorm and you’ll find me before you even get to the lake.” Zane reassured Aster.

“Alright. I’ll see you in about half an hour.” Aster said.

After the call ended, Aster went to his desk and quickly started getting his deck ready. For the first time since he came to Duel Academy, he felt excited for a duel. Too many of the students that he had seen were all talk and no skill. But Zane was different. He wasn’t one of the usual oblivious idiots that he came across. Aster’s dueling instincts had been telling him from day one that Zane was no pushover, so this was sure to be a good duel. And even though Aster didn’t really that Zane could defeat him, he still believed that he could give him a good challenge, and at this point, that was all that he really asked for from an opponent.

_ Sorry, Zane. But I’m afraid that your winning streak will come to an end after I’m through with you. But I have a feeling that you’ll still give me a run for my money.  _ Aster thought to himself with a smile as he headed out the door of his room.

Xxx

Once Aster arrived at the designated area that Zane had instructed him to find, he was surprised to see that Alexis, Jasmine, and Mindy were there, too. While he had no issues with the latter two of the group, Alexis’ presence didn’t exactly thrill him. He didn’t know why, but ever since day one at Duel Academy, she seemed to have it out for him for no real reason at all. Aster didn’t know what he had ever done to offend this girl, but it seemed like Alexis  _ lived  _ just to point out and complain about what she thought he was doing wrong. And in her case, that was, well,  _ everything _ . Maybe Aster  _ had  _ gotten a little too used to girls practically worshipping the ground he walked on. But he didn’t think that meant that he shouldn’t be at least a little annoyed by one who had apparently decided to hate him for no good reason. Aster did not understand the male student population’s infatuation with Alexis. Sure, he was a man and his eyes could appreciate what he saw. But you couldn’t go by looks alone. And in his opinion, there were plenty of other girls at Duel Academy who were just as attractive as her. For Aster, the problem with Alexis was that she was too stubborn to see things from outside her point of view. The way she had just assumed that he had beaten up Raizou for no good reason. Or how she couldn’t see how the guys here always took her gender into account when it came to duels. Or even how she let basic criticism about her lack of knowledge about field spells upset her. With Alexis, she was always right, and you were always wrong if you dared to disagree with her in any way. Well, at least that was how Aster saw it.

Dr. Crowler-still in his hiding place behind a bush-had to practically bite his tongue to avoid letting out an irritated growl when he saw that Aster was here.

_ Oh, so now he decides to show up! _ Dr. Crowler thought sarcastically, annoyed that his plans weren’t going at all like he had wanted them to.

“Alright, I’m here now. And it looks like we have an audience. So, I guess you have enough pride to not worry about losing to me in front of other people. I like that. I’m ready whenever you are, Zane. So, let’s duel already!” Aster said eagerly.

With hearts in their eyes, Mindy and Jasmine squealed excitedly when they saw Aster, causing Alexis to roll her eyes. She had already had to listen to them prattle on for about ten minutes about what they should say to him, as well as debate whether they had enough time to run back to the dorm to change their clothes and put on some perfume. As far as Alexis was concerned, Asshole Phoenix had done nothing to deserve this kind of attention.

“As much as I’d like to, I’m afraid that that isn’t going to happen tonight. I’m sorry for not explaining everything earlier, but your real opponent is right over there.” Zane said as he pointed in Alexis’ direction.

Aster frowned in disappointment. “But I wanted to duel  _ you _ …” He said in a tone that almost sounded whiny.

Alexis was annoyed by Aster’s reaction. He was obviously completely disregarding her as an opponent. She might as well not even be there.

“Well… I only asked if you wanted  _ a  _ duel. I never said that it would be against me. I already told you, we will duel eventually when the time is right. But I also called you here because we have a problem and we were hoping that you could help give us some answers.” Zane explained.

“Okay, I’m all ears. So, what is it?” Aster asked.

Alexis took out the dreaded fake love letter and handed it to Aster.

“Someone who was impersonating me wrote this letter to you. Zane found it in in his locker this morning. We figured that the only reason why you didn’t get it instead was because whoever put it there must have seen you borrowing his locker and believed that it was yours.” Alexis explained.

Aster read the letter carefully, snickering a bit at the ridiculousness of its contents. He had already seen way too many of these types of letters from his fangirls, but what made this one more amusing was the very idea that anyone could believe that Alexis had written it.

“So, do you have any idea who might have done this?” Alexis asked carefully.

“Obviously, someone who was hoping that I would take the bait to break some rules. So, I’m guessing it’s someone who wants me gone. Since that would equal over half the student population, there’s really no point in trying to figure out who it was. But even if you hadn’t told me about this and I had received it first, I would already know that this wasn’t from you. You’re too angry all the time to write something even half as polite as this.” Aster answered amusedly.

“Excuse me!?” Alexis asked in outrage.

“Okay, guys. Just calm down now.” Zane quickly interrupted before things could get even worse.

“Aster~ Would you look over our decks again? We wanted to ask you whether some cards we want to add would work with the ones you gave us. Please?” Mindy asked excitedly.

“Sure. We can over things again after I win this duel.” Aster said, putting on a kinder tone now that he was talking to his precious fans.

“Okay!” Jasmine agreed happily while Mindy nodded in agreement, too taken with Aster to even bother being on Alexis’ side this time.

_ Traitors.  _ Alexis thought to herself angrily. But more than that, it was Aster’s comment that had annoyed her. His arrogance that made him already assume that he was going to win before the duel had even started. It just made her even more determined to prove him wrong.

“That is what you wanted, right? You still have time to back out if you’re having second thoughts.” Aster taunted Alexis.

“You wish. We’re going to duel, and you’re going to have to change your plans afterwards, because I don’t intend to lose, Aster!” Alexis said impatiently. She had almost called him “Asshole” by accident instead of Aster.

“Heh. That would have been cute if you weren’t delusional enough to actually believe that you can win. It looks like you’ll have to learn the hard way. Just like everybody else always does against me.” Aster said smugly.

Aster and Alexis both readied their duel disks and stared at each resolutely. “DUEL!” They both shouted.

“Since I always let ladies go first, the first move is yours, even though you could stand to act more like one.” Aster said.

“How  _ very  _ kind of you.” Alexis said sarcastically.

“Alright! First, I’ll draw one card. Now, I’ll summon Etoile Cyber  **(ATK 1200 DEF 1600) ** in attack position. I’ll end by setting two cards face down. That ends my turn.” Alexis said.

“It’s my turn now, so I draw.” Aster said. He smiled in satisfaction as he looked at the cards in his hand. He was off to a good start.

“First, I play my field spell, Harpies’ Hunting Ground. This should help serve as a little refresher course to brush up on your knowledge of field spells so that you’re more prepared in class than you were today.” Aster teased.

Alexis simply glared at Aster, her face red with anger at his jab about earlier today.  _ He just had to bring that up!  _ She thought to herself angrily.

“Sheesh. What’s wrong with you? Can’t take a joke? Anyways, next, I summon Harpie Dancer  **(ATK 1200 DEF 1000) ** in attack position. Due to the effect of Harpies’ Hunting Ground, she gains 200 attack and defense points  **(Harpie Dancer ATK 1400 DEF 1200)** . But that’s not all! Every time I normal or special summon a “Harpie Lady” or “Harpie Lady Sisters” monster, Harpies’ Hunting Ground will destroy one spell or trap card on the field. So, I’ll use its effect now to destroy one of your facedown cards.” Aster said.

Alexis flinched as her first facedown trap card, Doble Passe, blew up in front of her.

“But don’t think that I’m done yet! Next, I activate Harpie Dancer’s effect! It lets me choose one wind-type monster that I control to return to my hand, including herself. Then I can switch it out to summon another wind-type monster from my hand. So, I’m sending Harpie Dancer back to my hand so that I can now summon Harpie Queen  **(ATK 1900-2100 DEF 1200-1400) ** to the field! So, I activate Harpies’ Hunting Ground again to destroy your second facedown card!” Aster said triumphantly.

While Mindy and Jasmine took time to “Ooh!” and “Ah!” over Aster’s Harpies, Zane couldn’t help frowning slightly.  _ Was this really what he planned to duel me with?  _ He thought to himself skeptically. 

Alexis looked on in horror as her second facedown trap card, Sakuretsu Armor, was blown to bits. She hadn’t thought that Aster would be able to get rid of  _ both  _ her facedown cards on his first turn. She had been counting on being able to use at least one of them to protect her monster.

“Now, Harpie Queen, attack and destroy Etoile Cyber!” Aster commanded.

“Finally, I’ll place two cards face down. That ends my turn. Nice try with putting Etoile Cyber in attack position to bait me like that. But it would have been smarter to put her in defense mode. That way, you wouldn’t have had to lose life points along with your whole field. But it’s not like I was expecting that much from you, anyway.” Aster said with a grin as he threw another verbal jab at Alexis. In his mind, it was time that she learned that not every guy she dueled was just going to compliment and drool over her. If she really was serious about being a duelist, she would need to get used to how things really were once you got to places like the Pro League.

**Aster- LP 4000 Alexis- LP 3100**

Before Alexis could say anything, Jasmine spoke up. She and Mindy finally seemed to have realized that their queen was being insulted.

“Aster, it’s not that we think you can’t win, but, um, you shouldn’t be taking Alexis lightly.” Jasmine said nervously.

“Yeah! She’s one of the best duelists we have in Obelisk! Even one of the best ones in the whole  _ school _ !” Mindy spoke up proudly, but also with that same nervousness that Jasmine had had. It was as if they were afraid that Aster would never want to speak to them again if they showed that they disagreed with him in any way.

Aster scoffed internally. If they thought that the school was any measure of success… However, at that moment, Zane spoke up.

“It’s true. It may not be on the level that you are used to, but Alexis might still surprise you if you give her the chance.” Zane said to Aster seriously.

“You guys…” Alexis trailed off in embarrassment. She didn’t think that she deserved this level of praise when it came to her dueling. She believed that she was really only trying to do her best, just like almost everyone else here.

“Guess I’ll have to see more myself, then. Everyone else here is willing to back you up. So…make it count.” Aster challenged Alexis.

Feeling some of her confidence return to her, Alexis nodded firmly.

“It’s my turn! I draw! I play the spell card, Graceful Charity. I’ll use it to draw three new cards and discard two. Next, I summon Cyber Tutu  **(ATK 1000 DEF 800) ** in attack position! Next, I play the spell card, Double Summon, allowing me another extra normal summon this turn. So, I’ll summon Command Knight  **(ATK 1200 DEF 1900)** in attack position! Her effect raises the attack points of all my warrior-type monsters by 400.  **(Cyber Tutu ATK 1000-1400 Command Knight ATK 1200-1600) ** And as long as I have another monster besides her on my field, you can’t target her for an attack. Command Knight, attack Harpie Dancer! And now, I’ll attack with Cyber Tutu! As long as you only have face-up monsters with higher attack points than her, she can attack you directly! So, I’ll have her do that now! Cyber Tutu, attack him directly!” Alexis said.

Cyber Tutu darted across the field to deliver a swift kick right in Aster’s face, causing him to groan slightly in pain and stagger back just a little. Alexis only wished that she could have taken a picture of the scene with her phone.

“Cheap tactics…” Aster muttered in annoyance.

“I activate my continuous trap card, Hysteric Party! I’ll discard one card in order to special summon as many “Harpie Ladies” as I can from my graveyard. So, I’m bringing back Harpie Dancer  **(ATK 1400 DEF 1200)** .” Aster announced.

“I’ll set one card facedown to end my turn.” Alexis said. She was happy to have dealt some damage to Aster and even be in the lead, but at the same time, she still felt uneasy.

_ Why did he wait until after I attacked him with Cyber Tutu to bring back Harpie Dancer? Thanks to his field spell, she has the same attack points as Cyber Tutu, so he could have used her to protect his life points and take her out at the same time, leaving me with one less monster. But he didn’t. He must be trying to save her for something else. But what? A tribute summon, maybe?  _ Alexis wondered to herself.

**Aster- LP 2400 Alexis- LP 3100**

“My turn. I draw one card. Now, I play my spell card, Pot of Greed, to draw two new cards from my deck. You’ve had your fun, so it’s time I stopped playing around with you and got serious. First, I summon Cyber Harpie Lady  **(ATK 1800-2000 DEF 1300-1500) ** in attack position. Next, I’ll use Harpies’ Hunting Ground to destroy your facedown card.” Aster said.

“Ha! The joke’s on you this time, I’m afraid! The trap card you destroyed was Waboku, and its effect still activates even if it is destroyed as long as it is flipped face-up like this. So, that means that I receive zero battle damage from any of your monsters’ attacks this turn, keeping them safe from being destroyed by them.” Alexis said triumphantly.

“Wrong again. Who said that I could only battle with them?” Aster said with a devious smile.

“What do you mean!?” Alexis asked somewhat nervously.

“Just  _ this _ . I play my spell card, Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation! As long as I have three or more “Harpie Lady” or “Harpie Lady Sisters”, I can destroy as many monsters that you have as long as it’s not more than how many harpies that I control. And you take damage equal to the one destroyed monster’s highest original attack, which in this case, is Command Knight’s.” Aster explained.

Alexis watched in horror as her monsters were wiped out. The fact that she had had Waboku didn’t even matter, because once again, Aster had a back-up plan to ensure that he could do  _ something  _ to cause her some damage.

“How predictable. You thought that you were safe because of Waboku, but I was already one step ahead of you. Entertain me. That’s all I ask. But I guess even that is too much to ask of you. Anyway, luckily for you, I can’t special summon or attack on the turn I used Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation. So, I’ll set one card facedown and end my turn.” Aster said.

**Aster- LP 2400 Alexis- LP 1900**

_ That explains why he didn’t wait until his turn to activate Hysteric Party.  _ Alexis thought to herself.

“C’mon, hurry up and take your take your turn already. You’re going to lose to me anyway, so there’s no point in delaying the inevitable.” Aster taunted.

Having had more than enough of Aster’s trash talk for the night, Alexis was about to let him have it when Zane interrupted her.

“Calm down, Alexis. You can still find a way out of this. Just focus on the duel, not him.” Zane advised Alexis calmly.

Taking Zane’s advice, Alexis decided to ignore Aster for now. Maybe Zane was trying to tell her that that was part of how Aster dueled. Sure, he was already a jerk, but maybe taunting and insulting his opponents was also just another weapon he relied on to put a hole in their defenses so that they would lose their focus and make mistakes. It looked like Mindy and Jasmine’s words from before about duelists’ words held some truth after all. If Zane’s dueling style was all about respecting his opponents, then Alexis guessed that Aster’s style could be referred to as the complete opposite: disrespectful dueling.

“Alright, it’s my turn, so I draw.” Alexis said.

_ Yes! This could change everything for me!  _ Alexis thought to herself in excitement as she looked at the card that she had just drawn.

“First, I play the spell card, Monster Reborn to special summon Command Knight  **(ATK 1200-1600 DEF 1900) ** from my grave yard! Next, I play my spell card, The Warrior Returning Alive! This lets me bring one of the warriors in my graveyard back to my hand. So, I’ll use it to bring back Etoile Cyber. And now, I activate the spell card, Polymerization! I’ll use it to fuse Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater together so that I can fusion summon Cyber Blader  **(ATK 2100-2500 DEF 800)** !” Alexis said.

“Oh, no! That’s Alexis’ best monster!” Mindy said in horror. She and Jasmine were obviously still ultimately rooting for Aster despite coming to Alexis’ defense earlier.

“Now, I’ll attack Harpie Dancer with Command Knight! And since you have three monsters on your field, Cyber Blader’s effect prevents the effects of your spell and trap cards!” Alexis said.

Aster winced a little as Harpie Dancer was destroyed and he lost a little of his life points.

“And now that you have two monsters on your field, Cyber Blader’s second effect activates, causing her attack points to double! ( **Cyber Blader ATK 4200 DEF 800) ** I think you know what this means! Cyber Blader, attack Cyber Harpie Lady and wipe out the rest of his life points!” Alexis commanded, hoping against hope that neither of Aster’s two facedown cards could save him from this.

“Like I’d really let you do  _ that _ ! I play my trap card, Enchanted Javelin! It lets me gain life points equal to the attack points of your attacking monster!” Aster countered.

“Fine. But the attack will still go through and destroy your monster.” Alexis pointed out as Cyber Harpie Lady vanished from the field.

“I’m aware of that.” Aster said wryly.

“Alright, then I guess that’s it for my turn.” Alexis said reluctantly.

**Aster- LP 4200 Alexis- LP 1900**

_ He may have a lot more life points now, but he still only has one monster while I have both Cyber Blader and Command Knight. I’d love to see him just try to pull another miracle to get out of this one!  _ Alexis thought to herself in amusement.

“It’s my turn, so I’ll draw. And now, thanks to you leaving me with only one monster on my field, I have everything I need to end this right here.” Aster said triumphantly.

_ I’ve got a bad feeling about this…  _ Alexis thought to herself with dread.

“You see, you may have believed that Enchanted Javelin’s inability to protect my monster from being destroyed was a bad thing. But the truth is that that was exactly what I wanted to happen.” Aster said smugly.

“Okay… You’ve lost me. But I’m guessing that whatever it is will be nothing good for me.” Alexis said glumly.

“That’s right. First, I activate my trap card, Blast with Chain! I’ll equip it to Harpie Queen, raising her attack points by 500.  **(Harpie Queen ATK 2100-2600 DEF 1400) ** Now, this is the fun part! Well, for me, not for you. I summon Harpie Lady 1  **(ATK 1300-1500 DEF 1400-1600) ** in attack position. Thanks to her effect, all wind type monsters gain 300 attack points.  **(Harpie Queen ATK 2100-2400 DEF 1400) (Harpie Lady 1 ATK 1500-1800 DEF 1600)** Now, Harpies’ Hunting Ground’s effect activates, and I’ll use it to destroy Blast with Chain. When it is destroyed by a card effect while its equipped onto a monster, I can destroy one card on the whole field. And I’m choosing your Cyber Blader, of course.” Aster said.

Alexis watched numbly as her strongest monster blew up from Aster’s trap. Now she only had Command Knight left and Aster would have enough firepower to wipe out the rest of her life points.

“So you see, if I had chosen to use a trap that would have protected Cyber Harpie Lady from your attack instead of Enchanted Javelin, I wouldn’t have been able to use Harpies’ Hunting Ground and Blast with Chain to get rid of Cyber Blader because I would have needed to summon another monster to activate Harpies’ Hunting Ground. But that would have meant that I would have had three monsters, so Cyber Blader’s effect for that condition would have prevented me from being able to use any of my spell and trap effects against you. So, you were actually doing me a favor when you destroyed her.” Aster explained.

_ Dammit. I’ve been playing into his hands this whole time…  _ Alexis thought to herself. She couldn’t help being impressed by Aster’s moves, though.

“Well, now that I’m done with that little lesson, it’s time to end this duel! First, I’ll attack Command Knight with Harpie Lady 1! And now, finish her off, Harpie Queen!” Aster commanded.

Alexis cried out as the force of Harpie Queen’s attack hit her, taking her life points down to zero.

**Aster- LP 4200 Alexis- LP 0 Winner- Aster**

Feeling stupid for even believing for a moment that she might win the duel, Alexis hung her head in embarrassment.

Once they were done congratulating Aster, Mindy and Jasmine went over to Alexis.

“Alexis, it’s okay… You did the best you could. He’s just too good, that’s all.” Jasmine tried to reassure her, even though her words weren’t exactly comforting.

“Okay, I guess that wasn’t half-bad. But you’ll never have a chance against me as long as you just keep relying on brute force to win. Why don’t you try actually using your brain next time if you want to win?” Aster said, sneering the last part a bit.

“And why don’t you try shutting the #@*% up for once!?” Alexis snarled at Aster. She had finally had enough of Aster, and she was done biting her tongue with him.

Aster, Jasmine, Mindy, and Zane just stared at Alexis, their mouths hanging open a bit in shock at her choice of words.

“You heard me. You have been nothing but an asshole to me throughout our whole duel, and once it was over and it looked like you were  _ actually  _ saying something nice to me, you just  _ had  _ to ruin it by being a jerk again! Tell me, Aster. Is it absolutely  _ necessary  _ for you to be a complete asshole to anybody that you obviously don’t think is worthy enough to even breathe the same air as you!? Would you actually  _ die  _ if you didn’t!? Because in case you haven’t noticed, the world doesn’t revolve around you and dueling, so it wouldn’t kill you to remember that some of us can only take so much of both of those things!” Alexis practically yelled at Aster. Then, without waiting for an answer from him, she turned around and left.

For once, Aster didn’t know what to say. Something in Alexis’ words had made him falter for a moment, and he wasn’t sure why. Hadn’t he just been acting like his usual self? Or had he really gone too far this time? And why was he even letting himself feel upset about this?

Xxx

“You shouldn’t have let him get to you like that, Alexis.” Zane said gently as he struggled to match her furious pace.

Alexis stopped walking and turned to face Zane.

“I know… It’s just… There was only so much I could take, Zane! Why is he like that!? He doesn’t talk that way to you!” Alexis said.

“I must be one of the lucky ones, I guess. But as bad as it sounded, I don’t think that he was really trying to hurt your feelings. I think that he’s just gotten too used to talking to people like that.” Zane said, although honestly, he wasn’t even sure himself about that explanation. He didn’t really know Aster at all, but Zane had a feeling that there was a reason why he seemed to be trying to distance himself from others.

“Whatever. It doesn’t matter to me what his problem is. If he wants to be like this forever, then I’m not going to expect him to change.” Alexis said.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	6. Chapter 6

Aster stared up at the ceiling of his room as he lay in bed with his arms crossed behind his head. It had only been a couple hours since his duel with Alexis, but her last words to him before she had left had stuck with him.

_ “Is it absolutely necessary for you to be a complete asshole to anybody that you obviously don’t think is worthy enough to even breathe the same air as you!? Would you actually die if you didn’t!?”  _ Alexis’ words echoed back in Aster’s mind again.

_ Would it really change anything if I wasn’t? Would anyone see me differently than they do now?  _ Aster wondered to himself.

Until Alexis had spoken those words to him, Aster had not even been considering just how he might have been affecting his opponent. For Aster, his dueling etiquette was the norm now and he always figured that his opponents would take it or leave it when it came to letting it affect their performance. But this was different. Alexis’ question had brought back some memories that he would have preferred to stay locked away. Memories that reminded him of some of the reasons as to why he ended up becoming as closed-off as he was now with other people.

Begin Flashback

_ Aster looked around the classroom somewhat nervously as he looked for a table of kids that he could join. It was his first day of first grade and class had just ended for a free period. All of the other children seemed to either know each other already or just had no problems immediately finding a place where they would be welcome. He was the only one left still standing around, but no one seemed to notice or care. _

_ Deciding to not his insecurities get the better of him any longer, Aster walked up to the nearest table of boys to ask them if he could sit with them. _

_ “Um…hi. I saw that you guys were coloring and I thought that it looked like you were having fun. And I will admit that coloring has always been a pretty effective stress-reliever for me. Do you mind if I sit here, too? I have some new crayons, so we could share if you want.” Aster greeted the boys kindly. _

_ The boys took a moment to answer Aster. After he had finished talking, they had just stared at him as if he had spoken in a foreign language. But now that their initial shock (no doubt brought upon by Aster’s more advanced vocabulary) had faded, their faces took on a new expression: hostility. Aster had no idea what he had said was wrong, but he had a horrible feeling that he was going to pay for it now. _

_ “We don’t want YOU here!” One boy said scornfully. _

_ “Yeah! Go sit with the teacher! She likes you better than us!” Another boy said with a jealous edge to his voice. _

_ “What? That’s not true! Why would you say that!?” Aster asked incredulously. _

_ “Don’t act like you don’t know! You kept showing off and giving the answers to her! Stop trying to make us look stupid!” The boy accused. _

_ “I wasn’t trying to do that! I was just answering because she asked if anyone knew! I thought that was what we were SUPPOSED to do!” Aster said in confusion. _

_ “Liar! You’re a teacher’s pet and we don’t like you!” The boy complained. _

_ “Yeah! And he’s a big sissy! Look at his hair!” Another boy pointed and jeered. _

_ “Even his name sounds like a girl! Aster is the name of a flower! My big sister said so!” The other boy said cruelly, causing the others to snicker. _

_ “No GIRLS allowed at our table, Aster! Go sit with them!” The first boy commanded. _

_ “Yeah! And we don’t want your stupid crayons either!” The other boy said rudely. With a vicious swipe of his hand, he knocked Aster’s brand-new box of crayons out of his hand, causing them to spill and break all over the floor. _

_ Aster looked at the ruined crayons in horror. His father had just bought them for him yesterday! How was he going to explain this!? And just why did the other boys hate him so much? Were they really that upset about what he had done in class? _

_ “Teacher’s pet! ~ Teacher’s pet! ~” The boys at the table started to chant repeatedly. Soon, almost the whole class had joined in. _

_ Aster felt hot tears begin to form in his eyes. Abandoning his place on the floor from where he was attempting to gather up his broken crayons, Aster stood up and ran out of the classroom, away from the cruel chants and laughter. _

_ Once he reached the alcove underneath the stairs in the hallway, Aster hugged his knees and started crying quietly to himself. Just how had everything gone so wrong? Why could all the other kids except for him have friends? He had only been trying to be nice just like they had with the others. But they had just ended up hating him instead... Aster didn’t understand what he had done wrong, but he did not want to go back to the classroom-or even school itself-anytime soon. _

_ Xxx _

_ “But why were they so mean!? I don’t understand! I was just trying to do good in school and make friends like you want me to…” Aster said sadly. Safe at home for the rest of the day, Aster was recounting his horrible first day to his father. _

_ Jared Phoenix sighed inwardly in his head. He had been worried from the beginning that something like this might happen to Aster. He had known that his son was a very gifted and articulate child for a long time now. But unfortunately, qualities like that could also alienate him from his peers. He just hadn’t expected it to be so brutal. Aster was everything to him and it broke his heart to see him hurt like this. _

_ “Aster, you didn’t do anything wrong and you have nothing to feel ashamed about. You’re different in some ways from other kids your age, but that doesn’t make you bad. Just more special. But unfortunately, other people are sometimes afraid of anyone or anything that is too different from themselves simply because they don’t understand them. So, they become confused at deciding how to react to them and sometimes end up lashing out out of frustration, even if they don’t understand why.” Jared explained carefully. _

_ “Will it always be like this? Will people always get angry because I’m…not like them?” Aster asked tearfully. _

_ “No, it won’t! Things will change eventually, especially once you start getting older. You will make friends, Aster. I’m sure of it.” Jared said encouragingly. _

_ “It’s too late; they all hate me. I don’t want to go back…” Aster said. _

_ “But that is only right now. Things will never change if you just give up now! Remember what I always told you about how we have to face our fears and not run away?” Jared insisted. _

_ “I remember. You always told me that real heroes don’t run away…” Aster admitted. _

_ “That’s right. So, you have to go back. Even if nothing changes right away and they still treat you the same. Hold your head up and high and don’t let them win. Because as long as you keep trying, you’ll find at least one person out there someday who was waiting to have someone like you for a friend, Aster. Probably even a lot more. I know it.” Jared said seriously. _

_ Xxx _

_ A couple weeks later, Jared was attending a parent-teacher conference with Aster’s teacher. After Aster’s first day, he had taken his father’s advice and tried to not let the other students’ words upset him. Even though he was disliked and ostracized by them, Aster was still doing his best in class and coming to school every day. As long as he could spend plenty of time with his father after school, Aster wasn’t too upset. _

_ “It’s not as if Aster is intentionally distancing himself from his classmates with his behavior. But I’m afraid that there just doesn’t seem to be much hope of them warming up to him at this point. The other children don’t like Aster because he finishes his work too quickly and always answers all the questions in class right. And when he does have to talk to anyone, they get think he comes off as condescending just because he talks about things in a way that they don’t understand. But the good news is that Aster won’t have to worry about being in an environment like this for too much longer.” Aster’s teacher explained. _

_ “What do you mean he won’t have to?” Jared asked in surprise. _

_ “Mr. Phoenix, surely you of all people would understand what I mean. Aster’s test scores far exceed those of the other children in this school. His IQ is off the charts. In just a few short years he will be ready for college! Until then, we can get him started on some more advanced material to get him ready for the entrance tests. That along with some-“ The teacher explained until she was interrupted. _

_ “No, I don’t want that.” Jared protested. _

_ “What do you mean? Mr. Phoenix, don’t you understand? I’m trying to explain to you that your son is special! He has a future! Please forgive my rudeness, but I fail to understand just why you would want to deprive him of that.” The teacher said incredulously. _

_ “It’s not like that, you misunderstand me. I’ve always known that Aster was special ever since he was a baby. But I don’t want him going off to college when he’s still just a child! He will have more than enough opportunities for that once he’s older after he has graduated. I want my son to have a normal, happy childhood. From now through high school is supposed to be the happiest time of any child’s life, and I want Aster to have a chance to experience that, too. To have friends, laugh and cry and even argue with them, play games and go on trips together, fall in love with a girl. Those are things that we all grow and change from and I don’t want it to be any different for Aster! He deserves just as much as a chance for happiness as any other child does. So, I don’t want him treated differently from anyone else. No special assignments or other college prep for him right now. That will just make things even worse for him, especially if it just makes him believe that there is something wrong with him when he sees he’s being singled out like that.” Jared explained. _

End Flashback

Sadly, Jared Phoenix’s dream for his son did not come true. Two years later after his death, all hope for a normal childhood for Aster pretty much disappeared after the D had adopted him. Aster was pulled out of regular elementary school classes completely. Instead, he was given special accelerated course work from a private tutor who came to their home every day. Then, after only a couple short years of this, the D had Aster enrolled in an elite private University so that he could start earning a degree as quickly as possible. Nobody bullied Aster in college, but they also weren’t interested in forming any kind of relationships with him either due to the age difference. And in between getting two PhDs in Law and Psychology, there was the endless preparation for and start of Aster’s Pro League dueling career. And just last year not long after Aster’s fourteenth birthday, the D had pretty much forced him out of his home with him, pushing him into buying and moving into a penthouse in Domino City. He had claimed that it was time for Aster to “become a man”, and that it simply made more sense anyway with how little they would end up seeing each other with their different travelling schedules in the league.

All in all, Aster had not had very much social interaction with people his own age throughout his childhood. He had had no friends his own age. Sartorius and Sarina were as close as a family with him, but ultimately, it wasn’t the same as having other friends because of their age differences. 

Aside from a few autograph sessions and duels here and there, Aster hadn’t really been around other teenagers until he had come to Duel Academy. And now when he was getting a chance, he was still basically isolating himself from others with his own indifference and harsh words. Sure, he talked with Zane and Bastion occasionally, but it was more acquaintance-based and casual than anything else. After all these years, Aster was still putting up a wall for himself against others, just like he had learned to do in grade school. Having spent years in the adult world now, he was finding it difficult to relate to the other students. But perhaps this was also because he wasn’t even trying to anymore. The D had always told him that this part of his life would be over fast enough and that he needed to concentrate on bigger and better things.

But despite knowing all of this, Aster still couldn’t help feeling some guilt over how he had treated Alexis in their duel. She had simply wanted a chance to test her skills against him, not hurt him. Sure, she hadn’t been much of a challenge for him, but it wasn’t her fault that she hadn’t had the same kind of opportunities as him when it came to being trained as a duelist. Alexis had gave it her at all and not gotten stupidly overconfident against him like so many others had. He could have at least given her a proper congratulations after the duel instead of being such a jerk.

_ Maybe I should apologize… No! I can’t let myself get soft now. I came here for one thing and nothing else matters. And besides, it’s not like she would even want to be friends with someone like me. No one would…  _ Aster thought to himself.

A steady rain began to fall outside, raindrops pounding against the window. Aster continued to stare in silence as he let his thoughts fall into the distance as seamlessly as the weather itself.


	7. Chapter 7

Alexis smiled to herself as she walked down the hallway of the girls’ dorm. The week of classes was over, and she now had the whole weekend to look forward to. No lectures, no tests, and best of all, no Aster for two whole days. After her duel with him earlier in the week, Alexis was trying to have as little contact with him as possible. Thankfully, Aster was helping her with that. Just as she expected, he went right back to not speaking to her again. The only difference was that there weren’t any more cheeky remarks from him to professors and the rest of the class whenever she did volunteer any information. But it didn’t matter whether he said anything about her or not. Alexis didn’t want to be around him  _ period _ . As far as she was concerned, Aster had proven himself to be even worse than she had thought. The fact that he didn’t show an ounce of guilt for being so insulting to her during the duel proved one thing. He was incapable of caring about anyone besides himself. Not that Alexis had ever thought that Aster could turn out to be a nice guy underneath all his arrogance and insults. But maybe a part of her still believed that he was capable of change. Despite his attitude, Alexis did admire Aster’s dueling skills and confidence in himself. A lot of the higher-ranking students liked to boast about their skills. But Aster had been able to consistently back up his claims with all his wins. And even though he taunted his opponents endlessly during duels, Aster pretty much left people alone outside of the dueling field if he was not provoked. While most of the Obelisk males hated him, the Slifers and Ras were a bit more on the fence when it came to their opinion of Aster. He was an Obelisk, but there were never any insults and bullying from Aster directed towards the lower-ranking houses with comments like, “Slifer Slacker” or “Ra Reject”. Basically, if you did not duel or confront him in any way, Aster would leave you alone. He didn’t go out of his way to be unfriendly, but he wasn’t exactly nice either. Except for his fans or Zane and Bastion, everyone else seemed to be beneath Aster’s attention. As far as Alexis was concerned though, this didn’t make Aster that much better. He was a snob and that was all there was to it.

_ I’m just glad that I won’t have to put up with him on the weekends or vacations, too!  _ Alexis thought to herself in relief.

“-really think I’d make it  _ that  _ easy for you!?” As if reading her mind, Aster’s all-too familiar voice interrupted Alexis’ thoughts.

_ But he’s supposed to be away for the weekend! And how can he be HERE in the girls’ dorm of all places!?  _ Alexis thought to herself in horror as she sprinted towards where she heard Aster’s voice coming from.

Alexis stopped in the doorway to one of the rec rooms and saw the source of what she had been afraid of. She breathed a silent sigh of relief to see that it wasn’t Aster himself, just him dueling on TV. Mindy and Jasmine both sat on the couch with their eyes glued to the screen.

“Why are you watching this!?” Alexis blurted out accusingly.

“It’s Aster’s Pro League match for today! Why  _ wouldn’t  _ we be watching it!?” Mindy said excitedly.

“Yeah! Just because  _ you  _ don’t like him doesn’t mean that we are going to, too!” Jasmine said somewhat defensively.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to sound like that. I just heard this outside and thought that Aster was actually here for a minute.” Alexis said apologetically. She was feeling more than a little stupid about her outburst now.

“He’s so dreamy… Look at how he’s looking at his cards right now. I bet he’ll win any minute now!” Mindy said adoringly.

“Oh, yeah. You can see it. It’s in his eyes. Are you taping this?” Jasmine said after a moment of zoning out.

“Yup.” Mindy answered, not taking her eyes off the screen.

Alexis had to refrain from rolling her eyes at her friends’ comments. She then turned her eyes to the duel. Instead of his usual Obelisk Blue attire, Aster was wearing a gray suit outfit and necktie with a simple black dress shirt underneath. She had to admit to herself that he  _ was  _ attractive in terms of looks, especially to pull off his oddly matched outfit. But the words that were coming out of his mouth right now were more than enough to make her forget about that.

“It’s taking you an awful long time over there just to make a move. Maybe I should make myself some tea while you take your turn? Or read a book? Heck, why don’t I just build a  _ house _ while you take your turn!? Sorry, dude. But you need to face reality and understand that you can’t win this duel!” Aster taunted his opponent arrogantly. He was clearly enjoying himself.

“Shut up, you little piece of shit! I’ll go when I’m ready!” Aster’s opponent fired back angrily, causing Aster to let out that snotty laugh of his that Alexis couldn’t stand.

Sure enough, Aster won the match during his next turn after his opponent was only able to play a monster in defense mode. Once he was announced as the winner, Alexis had to cover her ears against how loud the screams of all the girls in the stadium were as they cheered ecstatically for Aster. And of course, he made a big show of gloating while he smiled and waved to the audience. It was disgusting.

“I think I’m going to leave now.” Alexis said abruptly.

“What? But don’t you want to see the interview next?” Mindy asked sadly.

“No, not particularly. Besides, today is family day, and Mom and Dad are going to be here in a little bit. I need to get ready.” Alexis answered, thankful that she at least had a real excuse to leave.

“Well, okay. Guess we’ll see you later then, Alexis.” Jasmine conceded.

After a quick wave goodbye, Alexis left Jasmine and Mindy and headed back down the hallway again. There was only so much of Aster that she could take, and it didn’t help that there was no escaping him as a topic in the girls’ dorm. Besides her friends, almost every other girl in Obelisk Blue was boy crazy for him. Posters and special Pro League merchandise like calendars of him could be found in the dorm rooms and outside areas. A lot of girls also took pictures of him on their cell phones every day and shared their contents with each other, even going so far as to use them for their phone’s home and lock screen images. And Alexis was forced to listen to the same, endless types of conversations: how handsome Aster was, his latest duels, what he had said to them today, what their dream wedding with him would be like. Whether she was in class or back at the dorm for the day, there was no escape from Aster, and it was driving Alexis crazy. But in a couple hours, Aster would be the least of her worries once her parents arrived to see her.

Xxx

A couple hours later, Alexis entered the crowded living room area of sorts in the main campus building. Family Day was every Saturday, and since this was the first week of classes, it was a crowded affair. Due to the school’s location, the trip to the island could be a bit out of the way for family members depending on how close they were to the main Domino City area. So, students didn’t always spend the weekend at home. Family Day was set up as an in-between way to make things easier on both sides since it could also be a pain to leave campus too long on a weekend if students wanted to be near the library or other resources. Of course, vacation breaks were a different matter for most people with the school being nearly empty of students.

After scanning the room for a minute, Alexis spotted her parents near the far-end by the window side of the room.

“Mom! Dad!” Alexis greeted them excitedly as she sprinted over to where they were seated.

Once they saw her, Alicia and Trevor Rhodes immediately rose from their seats, smiling warmly at their daughter. Trevor took after Alexis in terms of looks with his golden-brown hair in a short style that spiked out just a little from the sides. His eyes were also hazel but had a slightly greener shade to them. Alicia on the other hand, resembled Alexis’ brother Atticus more, with long dark brown hair down her back in a thick braid and brown eyes.

“Here’s my favorite girl! I was starting to worry that we’d have to start searching the duel rings and pry you out of one with how much you love to duel! I bet you’re having the time of your life here, huh!?” Trevor joked with a smile. He ruffled Alexis’ hair affectionately.

“Yeah, I am!” Alexis answered happily. And it was true. Except for one outstanding exception, she was enjoying being at Duel Academy so far. Not just with the classes, duels, and her friends. Alexis liked how being here made her feel like she was doing  _ something _ to find Atticus, even if her efforts ended up being for nothing.

“We’re so glad we could come see you so soon after classes had started. You look wonderful, sweetheart. I only wish that we could be saying this to Atticus, too. He always did love Family Day…” Alicia said softly. She pulled her daughter closer to her in a warm hug.

Trevor made a slight noise of discomfort at his wife’s mention of their eldest child. But he didn’t say anything to argue with her. Alexis knew that they were putting on a front now because they were in public, but behind their careful façade was a family foundation that was slowly starting to crumble from the inside out. It had been that way ever since Atticus had first gone missing.

Begin flashback:

_ “Where were you, Trevor!? It’s ten ‘o clock at night and you didn’t even leave so much as a phone call to tell us that you wouldn’t be coming back until later! Your dinner got cold a long time ago!” Alicia interrogated her husband angrily as soon as he set foot in the doorway. _

_ “I had already told you this morning that I might be a little late coming home from work, Alicia. Maybe you should have remembered that before you start harping on me as soon as I get home. I’ve had a long day and I really don’t need this right now…” Trevor answered wearily. _

_ “A “little late”!? That was five hours from when you usually come home! If I had known that, I wouldn’t even have bothered making anything for you in the first place!” Alicia complained. _

_ “Well, what do you expect!? It was overtime! Someone has to keep this household running so that we still have enough to pay the bills! And our mortgage isn’t going to get taken care of overnight! Maybe if you found something a little more productive to do with your time and went back to work again like you used to, I wouldn’t have to pick up so much of the slack! It takes two to raise a family and keep up a household, Alicia! So, don’t expect to have it both ways!” Trevor argued. _

_ “How can you even say that!? Our son is MISSING, Trevor! I have to do everything I can to find him right now, not just go on pretending that it never happened like you are!” Alicia said passionately. _

_ “Don’t you DARE try using Atticus to make me the bad guy again! Believe me, I’m just as upset as you about him. But there’s only so many times we can try to push the investigation or start Facebook groups and videos or whatever!” Trevor practically yelled in exasperation. _

_ “So, what are you suggesting then!? That I just give up and pretend that it never happened!?” Alicia argued. _

_ “I didn’t mean it like that… But you need to face the very real possibility that…he might not ever come back. It’s not about giving up, Alicia. It’s about getting on with our lives again. It’s what people have to do to adapt.” Trevor insisted in a more subdued tone. _

_ “Well, I’m sorry, Trevor! But I can’t just “get on with life” again until I know what happened to Atticus! You may have given up already, but I never will!” Alicia declared. There were tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes. _

_ “Then at least don’t forget that he isn’t our only child! When was the last you even took the time to see our daughter? Remember her!? Alexis!?” Trevor asked frustratedly, pointing towards the direction of Alexis’ room. _

_ “I never forgot Alexis! It’s you who’s always off at work forever!” Alicia insisted. _

_ “Like I said, I need to for the overtime! And here we go again!” Trevor shot back. _

_ “It’s not my fault! How do you expect me to do everything at once like that right now!?” Alicia ranted. _

_ “I don’t know! I DON’T KNOW!!” Trevor shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. The sounds of their argument started to overlap. _

_ From her bedroom behind the doorway, Alexis sat huddled on her bed, hugging the old faded teddy bear that Atticus had gotten her for her fifth birthday close to her chest. Tears silently fell down her cheeks as she listened to her parents continue to scream and rage at each other. The arguments were becoming so frequent now and worse each time that she was scared that her parents might even decide to get a divorce soon. And then what would happen to their lives? To her life? If only they could find Atticus and bring him back home. Then maybe everything would be alright again… _

End Flashback

Once Alexis had told her parents about the classes and dueling for a while, they hit a lull in the conversation.

“So, is there anything else interesting going on with school for you that you haven’t told us about yet, Alexis? Any interesting boys, perhaps?” Trevor hinted teasingly.

“None that I’ve met so far, I’m afraid.” Alexis answered simply, fighting to not roll her eyes at her father’s question.

“Really? What about that famous professional duelist I’ve heard is going here? Was it Aster Phoenix? He’s a handsome young man.” Alicia said thoughtfully.

This time, Alexis couldn’t stop herself from letting out an irritated groan. Was Aster all  _ anyone  _ wanted to talk about now!? “I don’t care about that asshole!” She snapped, coming off sounding much angrier than she had intended.

“Hey. Watch your mouth, young lady.” Trevor warned his daughter. But he couldn’t help raising his eyebrows in surprise a little from Alexis’ tone. Usually, boys never made her get this worked up.

“Oh, my… Just what did this boy do to upset you so much?” Alicia asked worriedly.

Alexis explained everything, from running into Aster on her first day to their duel with each other. It felt good to just unload everything right there to her parents. She realized that she had wanted to tell someone about this. Someone who wouldn’t either think she was just being unfair like Jasmine and Mindy did, or someone who tried too hard to find sympathy for Aster somehow like Zane was, despite his understanding of how terrible Aster had been to her.

“I’d say that this kid has just gotten used to girls falling over him by now and doesn’t know how to react properly to one who sees him as a person. It happens a lot with younger celebrities, so I wouldn’t take it too personally, honey. And if he doesn’t see what a great person you are, then that’s his loss and he’s not worth your time.” Trevor explained.

“Or who knows? Maybe it’s just his way of showing that he likes someone.” Alicia suggested in a half-hearted attempt to cheer up Alexis.

“If that’s the case, then I’d hate to be someone he  _ doesn’t  _ like.” Alexis said ruefully.

XXX

Over on the other side of the room, there was another student having a family reunion today. But unlike Alexis’, this one wasn’t anything that you could consider as normal. From his seat at the table, Chazz listened vaguely to the sounds of the lighthearted, warm conversations between the other students and their families. How he wished he could be like one of them right now…. But being a Princeton made all that impossible for him.

“Hello, Chazz. We hope you are doing well.” Jagger and Slade Princeton greeted their younger brother in a formal, business-like fashion before sitting down across from him at the table. Chazz hated it whenever they said that. No, whenever  _ anyone  _ said that. Just why  _ wouldn’t  _ they hope that he was okay? Seriously, was there any need to even say that? It always just sounded so phony to him, somehow.

“Thanks. But didn’t you say that you had to get ready for that big election that’s supposed to be coming up soon?” Chazz asked. He was honestly surprised to see his brothers here at all with their schedule.

“That’s correct. When Slade gets elected to the council, it will open up even more doors for us in terms of important influential connections.” Jagger said with a grin.

Of course, he hadn’t said “if” Slade got elected, but “when”. Because to Slade and Jagger, that was the whole point of everything. One of their many mottos in life was, “Don’t try, just  _ do it _ .” Chazz remembered how they had always scoffed at things like those little trophies and other awards from elementary school athletic competitions that they gave to kids who hadn’t done well enough to place in anything. Awards titled things like, “I Tried” and, “Participation Award”. They had told him that things like that gave people a false sense of satisfaction. That it made people fall into the trap of becoming lazy and complacent by not believing that trying for better things mattered in life. They had explained to Chazz that there were always winners and losers in life and the harsh reality of it all was that there had to be a set amount of “losers” in the world to have enough people to do the jobs that nobody wanted to end up doing in life, like janitors or caretakers in nursing homes. Yet they were necessary to have and maintain that delicate balance so that the “winners” could enjoy success to the fullest in their lives while others took care of the dirty work. Even if it was only for a set amount of time until newer people could take their place. But the only difference was that the Princetons had to be winners no matter what.

Chazz had tried to feel more sympathetic to his brothers’ viewpoints, he really had. Years ago, they had both pretty much been forced to take over their family’s company while still in high school as soon as their parents had died in a plane crash. Between doing that, finishing school, and looking after Chazz, there had been absolutely no room for error in their lives. But because of that, Slade and Jagger had become hardened-ruthless even-towards the world. Sometimes, Chazz couldn’t help thinking that they were overdoing it with some of their plans. One of Slade’s proposals for once he was on the city council was that funding would be reduced drastically for aiding students from lower-income families in receiving grants and scholarships to help them get into dueling academies and other prep schools. Sure, he often complained about the “slackers” at Duel Academy. But didn’t they at least deserve a chance to become something more than that by going to good schools like this? And just how did doing things like this so often help to maintain that delicate balance that they claimed so often existed?

“Well, that’s great news, then!” Chazz agreed, trying to sound enthusiastic for his brothers.

“That’s right. The three most important things are politics, finance, and Duel Monsters. And once we control them all, we’ll control the world! So, we need you to do your part now, little bro. And that starts with defeating all the best students in this school.” Slade insisted.

Chazz groaned inwardly to himself. Another one of his brothers’ obsessions. It was never enough for him to just love dueling. No, he had to become not just a good duelist, but the best duelist in the  _ whole world _ . But hey, no pressure, right? Wrong. Being the best also meant never losing, and that almost ended up taking all the enjoyment away from it for Chazz. It was also how he had ended up being so rude and arrogant towards other duelists, especially the Slifers and Ras. Chazz would never admit it to anyone but labelling them as inferior to him helped him to feel more confident in his own abilities. If he believed that he was better than everyone else, then actually becoming that would be ten times easier, at least in his mind.

“Heh. No problem. This school is filled with enough amateurs as it is.” Chazz lied in what he hoped was a confident-sounding voice.

“Not quite. There appears to be some solid competition this year in the form of Aster Phoenix, rising Pro League star. Perhaps you have even encountered him already, Chazz?” Jagger enquired in a seemingly nonchalant tone. But the slight edge in his question made Chazz believe otherwise.

“I’ve heard of him. Haven’t had a chance to duel him myself yet, though. I don’t want to just rush into something like that right away. The kid’s got quite a record already, even for a pro.” Chazz said, lying smoothly about the first part. He couldn’t let his brothers know about his loss to Aster during their nighttime match at the dueling arena. Luckily, Aster and Alexis seemed to be keeping quiet about it too (a surprise to Chazz for the former), so his loss wasn’t public knowledge on campus. Not that anyone at Duel Academy would ever look down on him for losing to someone on Aster’s skill level. But Slade and Jagger were a different story.

“A  _ young  _ pro, Chazz. We’ve done our homework about Aster’s dueling career. Impressive as it is, it isn’t unheard of for new professionals to have a good win streak when they first enter the league. Beginners’ luck can be a frightening thing indeed. But with your similar ages, you should be at roughly the same level as him what with all the preparation you’ve had so far for this. We expect results.” Slade insisted. The last part of his sentence sounded more like a warning to Chazz than anything else.

“And you know I’ll get them.” Chazz reassured his brothers. But he was already feeling more than a little anxious about the task at hand. He knew that despite his brothers’ claims, Aster had most certainly not gotten where he was through luck. The duel alone had shown him that. And it didn’t help that Aster was continuing to take down higher-ranking opponents in the league even now. To have any hope of defeating Aster, Chazz knew that he couldn’t rely on his old strategies. He would have to do something out of the ordinary to have a chance at defeating him. Something that Aster would not expect at all. The question was, what?

Xxx

Away from the island over in Domino City on the mainland, Aster was having his Family Day of sorts with Sartorius and Sarina in their apartment upstairs from the fortunetelling shop they ran. It was evening now, and they were all having dinner in the kitchen together. Aster had finished his duels for the day over at the Kaiba Dome, and he was glad to finally get a break. Even though Sartorius and Sarina weren’t related to him by blood, Aster still considered them as his family more than anything else. 

“I’m glad that’s finally over with. I thought I’d end up there past midnight with how long it was taking that guy to make his moves.” Aster complained.

“Well, if you already know that you’re not an easy opponent for them to go up against, then how else do you expect them to react to your moves?” Sartorius answered with a slightly amused expression.

“It’s called a “surrender”. And believe me, it was invented for people exactly like the one I faced today. Or maybe it should have been made for  _ anyone  _ who duels against me.” Aster said with a smug grin.

“I’m sure you’re at least inspiring a rewording of the definition as it is…” Sarina said wryly. As close as she was to him, Aster’s conceitedness could become a bit overbearing for her sometimes.

“Putting that aside, how was your first week at school, Aster? I trust that you found your duels there just as enlightening as your league matches?” Sartorius asked.

“Heh. You mean you hadn’t already foreseen it?” Aster joked.

“Perhaps I did. But come, now. What would be the fun in just going by that and depriving us the chance to experience this wholesome family environment by engaging in the age-old ritual of sharing our feelings together over a meal?” Sartorius asked with false innocence, causing both Aster and Sarina to chuckle.

“To answer your question, it was as boring as hell. The classes are a complete joke. I mean, I know it’s a dueling school, but just how many people by now do they think wouldn’t even understand things like how defense and attack position work, for god’s sake? There’s no need to start  _ that  _ far back with the basics. And the duels are even worse, if you can believe that. Think of the last match I had today, only tens times less challenging. Everyone I’ve dueled there so far wouldn’t last even five minutes in the league. Even their so-called queen turned out to be a joke.” Aster complained.

“So, there’s no one you met that even looks like you could enjoy a good duel with?” Sarina asked carefully.

“Well… There is this one guy who I think is smart enough to maybe give me a good challenge. His name’s Zane, and I can tell that his confidence isn’t just a front like almost all the others who can’t back up their smack-talk for the life of them. And there’s another guy named Bastion who actually takes a pretty healthy interest in building different decks and side decking for someone who’s not a pro yet. Lots of the others could learn a thing or two from him.” Aster explained thoughtfully.

“That’s something good then, isn’t it?” Sarina pointed out, trying to get Aster to see an upside to his situation.

“I suppose.” Aster agreed with a careless shrug.

For a few minutes, they all ate in silence. Then, Aster spoke up again. “Are you sure that he is even there?” He asked Sartorius quietly.

“Aster, I’ve already told you before that what I have seen may not refer to this specific point in time yet. The one you seek may very well not have arrived on the island yet. There’s not much I can tell you unless I see more.” Sartorius reminded Aster gently.

“God, this is all so useless! I’ve gone through the whole staff’s records till I’m blue in the face and I can’t find anything that checks out or that card in their decks! He has to be there  _ somewhere _ ! And if not now, then  _ when _ !? I can’t take this waiting game! I need to find him! He needs to pay for what he’s done!” Aster raged. His face had taken on a furious, almost manic expression as he remembered the night his father was murdered.

Xxx

“This isn’t working, is it?” Sarina asked Sartorius quietly. It was a couple hours after dinner now and they were both conversing among themselves at the kitchen table for a few minutes now that Aster had retired to the living room for the night.

Sartorius sighed somewhat sadly in response to his sister’s question. “I had thought that what I had seen would be an opportunity for Aster to enjoy life as a normal child again. But it seems to only be making him worse. His heart is still stuck in the past…” He explained.

“I thought that Duel Academy would be a good chance for him to make some friends his own age. But except for us, it seems like he doesn’t want to open up to anyone else.” Sarina admitted sadly.

“We have to give it more time. It’s only been one week so far. As harsh as he has become, I know that there is someone out there who is capable of reaching him.” Sartorius insisted.

“You have already foreseen this?” Sarina asked curiously.

“No. It’s just what my own intuition seems to be telling me this time.” Sartorius answered hopefully.

Xxx

Aster flipped idly through the channels on the TV in the living room from his comfortable place on the large sofa. He loved this little time whenever he came over after Sartorius and Sarina had retired to their rooms for the night and he relaxed like this before he went to sleep. He loved how he was always free to stop in the kitchen for a bottle of water or some juice if he wanted. Or to use the little reading lamp on the end table next to the sofa to go over his decks or read something. Every time he stayed over was so peaceful and warm. Like he belonged to a real family. That was why he didn’t even mind sleeping on the sofa, because it sure beat staying all alone at his empty penthouse, despite its material comforts. But even so, Aster didn’t stay here  _ too  _ often. Despite the fact that Sartorius and Sarina had told him that he was welcome to stay with them for however long he wished after the D had basically kicked him out of his house, Aster didn’t do it too many days, just every once in a while. He was afraid that if he stayed here too much, he’d grow too comfortable with the environment. Attachments were dangerous, and he had learned that the hard way. A part of him was terrified that this could just as easily also get taken away from him if he enjoyed himself too much, and he didn’t want to relive that pain again. Because even now, the truth was that Aster would probably do just about anything outside of coldblooded murder just to get his old life back again. For all the fame, money, and dueling thrills he had, Aster would gladly have given it all up just to go back in time for a chance to relive his life with father again. To go back to being the innocent child he had been and wake up back in their old apartment so that he could watch his father design more Duel Monsters cards again. To be shielded from all the pain and ugliness that the world outside had shown itself to have. That was all he really wanted, and what he’d never have again.

Aster pulled himself out of his dark thoughts for a moment by thinking of school instead. Today had been Family Day at the academy and that had been even more reason why he didn’t need to stay this weekend, aside from his scheduled matches. But he couldn’t help wondering a little about how some of the others like Zane and Alexis were doing and even what their families might be like. Though how his brain had even gotten to Alexis at all, he did not know. But despite how bad a turn his life had taken years ago, Aster was happy to admit to himself that he at least could say that he believed that he felt just as happy as they might be to see their own families right now with how content he was right now in the safe little apartment with Sartorius and Sarina. If only he could find a way to believe that anything else this nice could also last this long…

  
  
  
  
  



	8. Chapter 8

The sound of the wall clock’s hands and pencils scratching against papers seemed magnified in the near-silent classroom as students worked on their tests. For most of them, the written portion of the monthly tests was a long and arduous process. Even a lot of the Obelisk Blues spent a good amount of time going over all the questions. All save for one exception, that is. After barely more than five minutes since it started, Aster had already managed to finish his.

_ Of course, this turned out to be a waste of my time.  _ Aster thought to himself in disgust. 

In Aster’s mind, everything on the tests was things that the students should know before they even came to this school if they were serious about becoming better duelists. Everything was accounted for in the questions. From “what would happen in this case” scenarios, to what monsters were needed to summon a particular fusion monster. Memorizing and understanding how  _ every single card  _ in the game worked was standard procedure if you were training for the pro leagues. And it was just one of the many things he had to do to get ready for the league before he was ready to try out for it. Of course, Aster being Aster, this wasn’t as hard of a task for him thanks to having a photographic memory.

Aster ignored the stares of the students that followed him as he made his way up to the professor’s desk to turn in his paper. On his way down the row, he heard Chazz scornfully whisper the word, “show-off” to a few of his cronies, who murmured in agreement. Of course, he had finished well before anyone else. But did they have to act like he had grown a third arm or something? It reminded him horribly of how his classmates in elementary school would react every time he turned his work in.

Once he had reached the front desk, Aster silently handed his paper to Professor Banner, hoping to avoid any more drama.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like to take a little more time first?” Professor Banner asked with a somewhat amused smile.

“Won’t be necessary. I already knew all the answers.” Aster scoffed.

“That may be true, but you know what they say: “It is only a fool who thinks he knows everything.” While I’m not referring to this test, it would still be wise of you to keep this advice in mind, Mr. Phoenix.” Professor Banner advised cheerfully; a mischievous glint shining through his glasses.

“Yeah, whatever. Can I go now?” Aster asked, unable to hide the annoyance in his voice. Professor Banner’s cat, Pharaoh, was starting to rub up against his leg and purr, and Aster didn’t want to get cat fur all over himself.

“Yes, you’re free until the next class.” Professor Banner answered pleasantly, unfazed by Aster’s tone.

Xxx

Alexis walked down the near-empty hallways of the school, trying to decide what to do next. After the test had ended, nearly all the students had rushed off to the school store in hopes of getting first grabs on the new shipment of cards that had just come in. With the practical exams around the corner, it made sense for people to want to try improving their decks. But since Alexis was reasonably satisfied with what she already had; she had decided to wait until after the stampede was over to think about anything else that she might want.

As she rounded a corner, Alexis saw some familiar faces. Zane, Bastion, and (much to her annoyance) Aster were sitting together against the wall at the end of the corridor. Bastion appeared to be looking over the cards in his deck while asking the other two for their opinions.

“It’s good for sure when you really need to destroy a monster. But it all depends on if you’re willing to take the risk it involves with its additional effect.” Aster explained to Bastion.

“But the question is, is it worth running?” Bastion seemed to almost be asking himself as he looked at the spell card, Offerings to the Doomed, in his hand.

“I’d say it depends on how dire your situation is. Not being able to draw a card during your next turn isn’t so bad if you can already end the duel with this. Otherwise, it may be better for emergencies.” Zane advised.

“If you don’t have a lot of other ways of destroying monsters outside of battle in whatever deck you use, I’d say it’s worth a try at least.” Aster said.

“Alright. Since I’m still in the process of finding the right formula for constructing my seventh deck, I suppose that a little more experimentation is in order.” Bastion said thoughtfully.

When Zane looked up, he noticed Alexis standing there for the first time. “Still trying to kill time before class? I would have thought that you would’ve gone to the school store by now.” He said to her casually.

“I decided that it wasn’t worth braving the stampede for. I’m pretty confident in my deck right now as it is. So new cards can wait a bit longer.” Alexis answered, ignoring the cough from Aster that just barely disguised his rude laugh.

“Same here.” Zane agreed.

“I’ve basically already worked out an equation for victory with all my decks, so I’m also going to pass on the sale today.” Bastion said confidently.

“What about you?” Alexis asked Aster bluntly. She figured that as a pro duelist, Aster had to keep getting new cards for all his decks if he wanted to be ready to adjust to the competition all the time.

“I get most of what I need off the internet whenever I’m in the market for new cards. That way I can make sure that I always get what I need without having to go through boxes. You can get deals if you know the right people to buy from. Of course, it’s probably outside most other people’s normal price range. But you get what you pay for.” Aster said smugly.

_ As usual, talking to him was a waste of my time. Why did I even bother?  _ Alexis thought to herself irritably.

“Well, I guess I’ll be going now. There was something from the library I wanted to see if they had while I still had a chance to before class.” Alexis said.

“Alright. See you later then, Alexis.” Zane replied.

Once Alexis had left, Zane turned to Aster. “I’m surprised you were able to have a civil interaction with her.” He said.

“Well, all she did was ask whether I was going to buy some new cards or not and not trying to start an argument with me for once.” Aster said ruefully.

“But you don’t have to argue either way.” Zane pointed out.

“Whatever. You two seem pretty friendly, though. Just how did that happen?” Aster asked.

“I already knew Alexis from outside of Duel Academy. Her brother is a good friend of mine, so she would be around sometimes whenever I visited their house.” Zane explained.

“A brother? Is he here, too?” Aster asked with interest.

“No.” Zane answered simply. Aster had a feeling there was something Zane was leaving out here, but the tone of his voice told him that the subject was closed.

“Just why are you asking me these questions anyway?” Zane asked suspiciously.

“No real reason. I was just curious since she’s a freshman and it’s pretty unusual for one to know a third-year from the beginning of the school year.” Aster answered casually.

“Hmm, so you say, Aster. But me thinks the gentleman doth protest too much.” Bastion-who had been silently listening to the whole conversation-said teasingly.

“Please tell me you’re joking, dude. She is way too disagreeable for her own good.” Aster scoffed.

“But perhaps that therein, is the appeal for you. The fact that there is one girl at this school who is unaffected by your charms may have unknowingly piqued your interest.” Bastion suggested.

“More like my annoyance. I’m not interested in her or any other girl here for that matter. I have enough to do as it is, and in a few years, I’ll be back to a full-time career in the league after graduation. I don’t have time for relationships.” Aster insisted.

“All the more reason you should try to enjoy yourself right now. I’m not saying that it has to be dating, necessarily. But there’s more to life than dueling, so it wouldn’t hurt to maybe try to find something else to enjoy in your free time.” Bastion suggested kindly.

“Says the guy with seven decks. Look, I appreciate your advice, but I just can’t think about any of that right now. So, can we please get back to what we were doing before Alexis interrupted yet  _ again _ ?” Aster said in frustration.

“I suppose so.” Bastion agreed. He wasn’t about to forget what he had observed from this conversation just yet, though…

Xxx

“I can’t believe someone bought out the store before we even got there! Just what kind of loser needs  _ that  _ many new cards just to pass the practical exam!?” Taiyou complained.

“Yeah, not only a loser, but a hog, too! Although it’s not like it’s any skin off our back, though.” Raizou answered.

“Yeah. After all, we got the one and only Chazz Princeton to steer us in the right direction if it ever looks like we’ll go wrong! Not that it will, of course! Ain’t that right, Chazz!?” Taiyou said excitedly.

Chazz rolled his eyes in annoyance. Taiyou and Raizou had been trailing him down the halls ever since they left the school store. Usually, he liked having them around for the regular ego boosts they provided to him and that they usually agreed with him about things. (Although that being said, it could get a bit annoying when they glorified him to the point where they might as well have had no individual opinions of their own about anything.) But right now, he wished he could have some time alone without them following at his heels like a couple of hyper puppy dogs. He was still going over his new deck to use against Aster when the time came, and he wanted to do it in peace and quiet.

“You know it. But it’s still annoying that we didn’t even get to  _ see  _ what new cards came with the shipment.” Chazz answered.

“But not as annoying as say…trying to get ahead of your greatest rival?” A new voice questioned, startling Chazz, Taiyou, and Raizou.

A figure dressed in a long-sleeved overcoat was standing directly in front of the three boys. He was wearing a cap on his head with the brim covering his eyes so that they couldn’t identify him. However, Chazz vaguely recognized the low voice that had spoken to them.

“You’re the guy who bought all the cards!” Taiyou said accusingly.

“Easy there, gentlemen! I only did that for your own benefit. For I believe we all have a common enemy we wish to defeat.” The man said. He then raised his head and opened the overcoat disguise to reveal none other than Dr. Crowler himself. Lined within the coat were rows and rows of card packs.

“Hey! It’s Dr. Crowler!” Raizou exclaimed in surprise.

“What are you doing here!? And why did you buy out practically the whole card shop!?” Chazz questioned Crowler angrily.

“Did I not make myself clear before? These rare cards are for you, Chazz. I understand that we both share a mutual…distaste for Aster Phoenix. He tarnishes the good name of Obelisk Blue with his arrogance and complete disregard of the noble students such as yourselves who are here learn and take pride from being members of this dorm! That is why I am giving you, the best first-year student, a chance to put him in his place and avenge us for the shame and ridicule he has brought upon us! I have arranged for you to duel him in this afternoon’s practical exam. So, feel free to take any and all of the cards here for your deck to use against him!” Dr. Crowler explained triumphantly.

“Wow, Chazz! You’ll be sure to win against Aster with all these!” Taiyou said in amazement.

“Yeah! This’ll show that punk!” Raizou agreed.

“No.” Chazz said simply, surprising everyone else.

“What do you mean!? Don’t you want to beat Aster?” Dr. Crowler asked in astonishment.

“Of course, I do! But not like this. If you think just having a bunch of new super rare cards is enough to beat someone like Aster, then you’re a fool. None of the cards that I see here right now are probably anything that will give me an edge against him. In case you forgot, he’s a professional duelist. He’s seen it all. I need to do something out of the ordinary if I want a chance of winning against him. That’s why I’ve been working on a strategy of my own to beat him. I’ll win by myself without anyone else’s help. So, you might as well return all of those to the store, Dr. Crowler.” Chazz said.

“Humph! You should be more grateful that I went out of my way to help you like this, Chazz! But if you’re confident that you can defeat Aster as you are, I’ll hold you to that. The match still stands, so I hope for all our sakes that you will defeat him.” Dr. Crowler said somewhat grudgingly. He then turned and stalked off down the hallway.

“Uh, wait. Can’t we at least still have those cards if Chazz doesn’t want them?” Raizou asked in a small voice.

Xxx

A couple hours later, the whole school was gathered in the main Academy dueling arena to watch the “exhibition match” between Aster and Chazz. Even though it was technically only supposed to be a regular practical exam match-up, there was enough excitement generated from being able to see two of some of the highest-ranking duelists in school face off against each other. That and the fact that Aster’s duels tended to draw attention either way with him being a pro duelist.

“Man, I hope Chazz wipes the floor with Aster.” One of the Obelisk boys said to his friend.

“I know! Phoenix is a prick who won’t even give you the time of day unless you’re one of his suck-up fans or Zane.” The other boy replied.

“Not just Zane. I heard he also hangs out with that Ra Reject, Misawa. Heck, I’m surprised he doesn’t have a little Slifer Slacker pal too to complete his circle.” The first Obelisk said.

“Who cares? After the last assigned duels, I just want to see this guy lose for once. As far as I’m concerned, they shouldn’t even have let him enroll here. It’s not fair that we should have to duel pro duelists when we’re still in school.” The second Obelisk ranted.

Xxx

“So, who’s your money on?” A Slifer asked his friend.

“Aster. Yeah, he’s a snob and I wouldn’t want to duel him. But at least he leaves us alone and we don’t have to duel him since we’re from different dorms. I’m sick of these Obelisk jerks and sometimes even the Ras acting like they own the school everywhere we go. So, I scored low on the entrance exam, big deal. Those questions were more what they should be giving us  _ after  _ we’ve had a few years here to learn all those details. And it’s not like I’m not a good duelist just because of some stupid test.” The second Slifer said in annoyance.

Xxx

Up on the top row of seats, Alexis quietly slipped in the seat that Zane had saved for her next to him.

“For a while I was starting to think that you weren’t going to show up.” Zane said.

“And why wouldn’t I?” Alexis asked.

“Well, it’s not like Aster and Chazz are your favorite people here.” Zane answered bluntly.

“True. But a duel’s still a duel. If anything, we’ll get to see some interesting plays. Aster may be a jerk, but he knows how to adapt, and that always makes him worth watching. And I heard Chazz has made a new deck just for this duel, so it will be interesting to see how that works out. Either way, I can be happy seeing either one of them lose.” Alexis explained.

“Guess we’ll see. But since you told me that Aster has already defeated Chazz once, I have a feeling that it won’t be hard for him to do it again.” Zane said.

“You give him too much credit, Zane.” Alexis complained.

“He’s my rival, so I expect him to keep up with my expectations.” Zane pointed out.

Xxx

“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to this special exhibition match for our practical exams this month! Today, we have put together a special treat for all of you!” Dr. Crowler announced through a microphone.

“Over here, we have our first duelist, Aster Phoenix, as I’m sure you’re all aware of by now.” Dr. Crowler announced, his voice taking on a slightly sarcastic edge at the last part.

Almost all the female students screamed and cheered hysterically at the announcement of Aster’s name. Meanwhile, a chorus of jeers and loud booing could be heard from the Obelisk boys. Aster simply smirked and waved at them. Only vague mutterings came from the Ra and Slifer sections.

“And over here, we have Obelisk’s own rising star, Chazz Princeton!” Dr. Crowler announced with much more enthusiasm than he had when he had introduced Aster.

The Obelisk boys cheered loudly, shouting words of encouragement to Chazz, while the girls sulked silently. The Slifers and Ras remained silent. They didn’t particularly like Aster, but that didn’t mean that they were willing to root for Chazz either.

“So, without further ado, let’s get this duel started!” Dr. Crowler said excitedly.

“Ready to lose again? I would have at least thought you would give yourself a bit more time to prepare yourself for before wanting a rematch with me again. You have guts to be willing to come back at all after being defeated by me, I’ll give you that. But don’t expect the result to be any different this time.” Aster taunted Chazz.

“We’ll just see about, Aster. I didn’t come unprepared this time.” Chazz warned Aster.

“DUEL!” Aster and Chazz both shouted at once as they readied their duel disks.

“I’ll start things off first! I summon Witch of the Black Forest  **(ATK 1100 DEF 1200) ** in defense mode. Then I’ll place two cards face down and end my turn.” Chazz said.

“My turn! I discard Zeradias, Herald of Heaven  **(ATK 2100 DEF 800) ** to the graveyard in order to use it’s effect, which allows me to add one The Sanctuary in the Sky field spell from my deck to my hand. Now, I will play The Sanctuary in the Sky. I’m sure you remember from our last duel what it’s effects are.” Aster said.

“Now, I summon Bountiful Artemis  **(ATK 1600 DEF 1700) ** in attack mode. Next, I’ll use it to attack your Witch of the Black Forest!” Aster said.

Bountiful Artemis shot a ray of light from its hands, causing Witch of the Black Forest to disappear from Chazz’ side of the field.

“With Witch of the Black Forest destroyed, I use it’s effect to add Dark Valkyria  **(ATK 1800 DEF 1050) ** from my deck to my hand.” Chazz announced.

“Alright then. I’ll set two cards facedown and end my turn.” Aster said.

_ This isn’t good… He obviously didn’t activate any of his face down cards because he wanted me to destroy Witch of the Black Forest so that he could get what he needed for whatever his strategy is. But if I had just left it there, he could have still found a way to use it anyway if he tributed it for a better monster or something during his next turn. There was no avoiding that for me.  _ Aster thought to himself uncomfortably.

“My turn. First, I’ll play Pot of Greed so that I can draw two cards from my deck. Next, I summon Dark Valkyria in attack mode! Then I’ll use the equip spell, Supervise, on it. Thanks to its effect, Dark Valkyria will immediately become an effect monster and be able to use her effects without normal summoning her again to use her Gemini effect like I normally would have to do first. That means I can place one spell counter on her. This makes her gain 300 attack points, but that’s not what I’m after here. I’ll remove her spell counter in order to destroy your Bountiful Artemis!” Chazz explained.

“Not so fast! I activate my counter trap, Divine Punishment to negate and destroy your Dark Valkyria! And since I used a counter trap, Bountiful Artemis’ effect activates, letting me draw one card.” Aster announced.

“That may be so, but when Supervise is sent to the graveyard from the field, I get to summon a normal monster from my graveyard, so Dark Valkyria is coming back and I’m using her to attack again!” Chazz said triumphantly.

This time, Aster let Bountiful Artemis get destroyed. The important thing was to get rid of Dark Valkyria for the first time. And thanks to his field spell, he wouldn’t lose any life points.

_ So far so good. I got him to use up that annoying trap card.  _ Chazz thought to himself.

“That ends my turn. Looks like things didn’t go quite as you planned there, huh, Aster?” Chazz taunted.

“Quite the opposite, actually.” Aster said as he saw what he had just drawn.

“I summon Warrior of Zera  **(ATK 1600 DEF 1600) ** in attack mode! I think you know what this means, Chazz! I offer him to special summon Archlord Zerato  **(ATK 2800 DEF 2300) ** in attack mode! And now, I discard one light type monster from my hand to activate his effect!” Aster said smugly.

“No, you won’t! I activate my counter trap, Divine Wrath! By discarding one card from my hand, it lets me negate the effect of and destroy one monster! So, you can say goodbye to your Archlord Zerato!” Chazz said quickly.

“Don’t think it will be that easy! I activate my counter trap, Ultimate Providence, to counter your counter trap! By discarding one trap card from my hand, it will negate and destroy your Divine Wrath!” Aster said.

“No! Because I activate another counter trap, Divine Punishment, to negate and destroy Ultimate Providence! So, my counter trap counters the counter trap you used to counter my first counter trap! So, I’m afraid Archlord Zerato is going down whether you like it or not, Aster!” Chazz said, stumbling over the words a bit.

“This is getting ridiculous…” Alexis said wearily.

“He’s fighting fire with fire. This is quite an impressive duel so far.” Zane said in admiration.

“Well, looks like we had ourselves a little workout there!” Aster said in amusement.

“When you talked about improving your deck last time, I figured you were going to use counter fairies. That way you could include more of those bullshit trap cards of yours. So, I figured I’d use your own strategy against you this time, because only a counter trap can counter a counter trap! And it helped that I could use your field spell to my advantage, too! But I’m not done yet, Aster. Since I used a counter trap, I can tribute one dark type monster to special summon Dark Voltanis  **(ATK 2800 DEF 1400) ** from my hand! And when that happens, I can use its effect to destroy one card you control! So, I’ll take care of your last facedown card.” Chazz explained.

Feeling a bit shaken, Aster watched as his last line of defense, the set trap card, Draining Shield, was blown up.

“I end my turn.” Aster said quietly. He had nothing in his hand to set and if Chazz got another monster strong enough to go with Dark Voltanis, it was all over. How could he have let it go this far!?

“I hope you’re prepared, because it’s my turn now, and I’m going to make you pay for underestimating me before!” Chazz said.

_ No! This isn’t enough to end it!  _ Chazz thought to himself in frustration as he saw the monster he had just drawn.

“I summon Sangan  **(ATK 1000 DEF 600) ** in attack mode. And now, I attack you directly with him and Dark Voltanis!” Chazz said.

Aster was practically blasted off his feet from the force of Chazz’ attack. By now, the crowd was getting riled up with the Obelisks cheering loudly for Chazz while the girls gave gasps of horror at Aster’s predicament. Dr. Crowler had a look of glee on his face.

“I end my turn. You’re lucky I didn’t get a stronger monster than Sangan. Not that it matters now.” Chazz said coldly.

**Aster- 200 LP Chazz- 4000 LP**

_ Yes! I’m really going to do it! Just a little more and I’ll win! I’ll show my brothers that I’m not an underachiever!  _ Chazz-on pins and needles with anticipation-thought to himself.

“Okay, it’s my turn.” Aster said, trying to steady his nerves.

“First, I activate the spell card, Pot of Greed.” Aster said.

_ Okay, I can work with this.  _ Aster thought to himself, feeling a bit calmer after seeing what he had just drawn.

“Now, I play Monster Reborn to bring back Bountiful Artemis from the graveyard in defense mode. And I’ll also play Harvest Angel of Wisdom  **(ATK 1800 DEF 1000) ** in defense mode. Then, I’ll set one card face down and end my turn.” Aster said.

“That’s it? Looks like this isn’t going to be as hard as I thought.” Chazz sneered.

“My turn! I attack Harvest Angel of Wisdom with Dark Voltanis!” Chazz said.

“I activate my counter trap, Negate Attack, to stop your attacks and end your battle phase! And Bountiful Artemis lets me draw another card.” Aster declared.

“So, what!? You’re just buying yourself time now!” Chazz scoffed.

“Not quite. By using Negate Attack, I get to use the effect Voltanis the Adjudicator  **(ATK 2800 DEF 1400) ** from my hand to special summon it by tributing my two monsters! And for each of them, I get to destroy a card on your field! So, now you are the one who is out of monsters, Chazz!” Aster said.

Chazz gazed on in wide-eyed horror as his field was cleared of monsters. Of course, he should have known that Aster would find a way to come back from this. If only he had drawn a stronger monster than Sangan before…

“I’ll set one card face down and end my turn…” Chazz said reluctantly, hoping against hope that his trap card would at least let him stall for more time.

“Alright, it’s my turn. You’ve had your fun, but that’s all over now.” Aster said coldly.

“I activate my spell card, Mystical Space Typhoon! So, if you were counting on that face down to buy you some more time, you can forget that now.” Aster said as the tornado from his spell blew away Chazz’ trap card, Negate Attack.

“Now, I will remove two light type monsters from my graveyard to special summon Soul of Purity and Light  **(ATK 2000 DEF 1800) ** from my hand! Now, I attack you directly with Voltanis the Adjudicator and Soul of Purity and Light to end this duel!” Aster said triumphantly.

_ Nooo! I was so close!  _ Chazz thought to himself angrily as he got blasted back from the force of Aster’s attack.

**Aster- 200 LP Chazz- 0 LP Winner- Aster**

“And the winner is: Aster Phoenix. Nonetheless, a very good effort on Mr. Princeton’s part for coming so close to defeating a professional duelist!” Dr. Crowler announced.

Ignoring the noise of the crowd, Aster simply turned and walked away from the dueling arena without a word to Chazz. He was too frustrated with himself with his close shave for any of his usual witty victory gloats to his opponent.

“Wow… Aster almost lost that one. I thought he’d at least be a little happier that he managed to come out of that one as the winner.” Alexis said in surprise.

“He may not have lost, but I think that was still a hit to his pride. Hopefully, this will be a lesson for Aster to not underestimate his opponents anymore.” Zane said thoughtfully.

_ If it can help straighten up that attitude of his more, then I’m all for seeing Aster lose one of these days.  _ Alexis thought to herself.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	9. Chapter 9

Alexis stood silently just outside the entrance to the Abandoned Dorm. Even though it was technically against school rules to be here, she couldn’t bring herself to pass up the chance to visit the grounds around the area. She figured that if she didn’t go inside the building itself, the faculty wouldn’t have too much to complain about. But the truth was that she  _ had  _ already done that before. Despite Zane’s insistence that there had been nothing to find back when he had undergone a search himself, Alexis had gone inside, desperate to find some clues about Atticus’ disappearance. So, with Zane keeping watch outside, she had searched the dorm as much as she could. But like Zane had told her, there was nothing of interest to find. It was disheartening, but Alexis wasn’t ready to give up on Atticus just yet.

_ Please be safe and come back soon, Atticus. Wherever you are… _ Alexis thought to herself solemnly as she placed a single red rose on the ground next to the side of the building. She didn’t see it as an admission of giving up, but rather as a reminder to keep on believing that he was still out there somewhere.

As Alexis started to leave, she stopped short when she saw Aster near the front entrance to the dorm, poised to go inside. Just what was he doing  _ here _ !?

_ Looks like he’s out to break more rules he hasn’t already. It figures!  _ Alexis thought to herself angrily. Letting her anger get the better of her judgement, she strode towards him without another thought.

“What do you think you think you’re doing here!?” Alexis said sharply, causing Aster to turn around abruptly.

“Great. Of course,  _ you  _ of all people would have to be here.” Aster said sarcastically, visibly annoyed by Alexis’ presence.

“Going into the Abandoned Dorm is against school rules. You could get expelled for this.” Alexis warned Aster pointedly.

“If that’s the case, then I’d think you’d encourage it as a chance to get rid of me.” Aster said with a smirk.

“Please. Don’t bring me down to your level. But putting that aside, you never answered my question: Just what are you doing here, Aster?” Alexis asked.

“That’s none of your concern. Just like I’m sure you have your reason for keeping your little tribute to the dead over there a secret, I have things I’d like to keep quiet about as well. So, why don’t we both just pretend that we never saw each other here and leave it at that, alright?” Aster proposed.

“Fair enough. But this is a lot bigger than you think, Aster. You’re messing with things that you don’t understand.” Alexis tried to warn Aster.

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Aster answered shortly. Without another word, he turned and went into the dorm, leaving Alexis standing outside by herself.

Alexis sighed to herself in resignation.  _ I hope he knows what he’s doing…  _ She thought to herself wearily.

Xxx

The next night, Alexis gazed out at the sea as its waves splashed gently against the side of the port. The beam of the lighthouse she was leaning against traveled against the water, repeatedly illuminating it with each turn it took. This was her and Zane’s usual meeting place at night, and he would be here any minute. Order and punctuality were things that Zane took very seriously, after all. It was always a wonder to Alexis just how he had become best friends with Atticus, who was seemingly the opposite of him in so many ways.

Right on cue, Alexis heard Zane’s almost-silent footsteps approach from behind just as the numbers on her digital watch changed to ten PM. As usual, he slipped into his place standing next to her (and Alexis would even be willing to wager money that Zane somehow always managed to stand the exact same measurement of distance apart from her each time) without a word.

“Any news?” Alexis asked simply. This question was how they always opened their night time conversations.

“I’m afraid not. If only the information we sought could flow as easily and consistently as the tide going in and out… The ocean is far more consistent than human beings, if anything. But in the end, they are both equally affected by nature, I suppose…” Zane mused.

Zane was known for being a man of few words by most others, but Alexis also knew just how poetic he could get if he was in the right frame of mind for it. She decided to step in before he got too lost in his own little world.

“I saw Aster snooping around the Abandoned Dorm last night.” Alexis said.

Zane frowned at Alexis’ words. “He shouldn’t be there.” He stated simply.

“That’s what I tried telling him, but he didn’t take it very well. He said he had his own reason for being there, whatever that may be.” Alexis said sourly.

“I knew that he had been sneaking out at night already. But I didn’t think that that was one of the places he’s been frequenting.” Zane admitted.

“You knew what he’s been up to? How?” Alexis asked curiously.

“Oh, he may  _ think  _ that he’s been keeping quiet about it, but Aster’s not fooling me. It’s pretty much impossible to not hear how he leaves his room at the same time every night from right next door to my room. He always shuts the door to his room first, and then waits a few minutes before pretending to come back and shut it again loud enough for anyone nearby to hear it both times. Believe me, it’s one of the oldest tricks in the book and nothing new if you already know what it’s like to have a little brother.” Zane explained. A slight grin formed on his face at his last words as he briefly thought back to when he had used to foil his brother Syrus’ late night refrigerator raids when they were younger.

“But just why would Aster be interested in the Abandoned Dorm in the first place? Knowing him, I don’t think it was just for thrills. Do you think it’s possible that he knows about the missing students at all like us?” Alexis asked.

“That’s what I’d like to know as well. And there’s one way we can find out.” Zane answered.

“Wait. You don’t mean…” Alexis trailed off, knowing where this was going.

“That’s right. We’re going to follow Aster and see where he goes. And the sooner the better. So, I say we meet up tomorrow night and go from there.” Zane announced.

Alexis nodded in agreement. She had no idea just how Aster was connected in any way to her brother and the other missing students and what he might know about the incident, if anything. But right now, it was the best lead they had.

Xxx

The next night, Alexis and Zane waited hidden outside together close by the entrance to the Obelisk boys’ dorm until Aster departed the building. For a few minutes, Alexis wondered if he was going to show up until they finally saw a figure emerge from the front entrance.

_ There! Asshole Phoenix spotted at five 'o'clock!  _ Alexis thought to herself triumphantly. With a quick nod to each other, she and Zane proceeded to tail behind, trying to move silently and remain a safe distance away from Aster so as not to be seen by him.

As she and Zane trailed behind Aster, Alexis began to realize that he wasn’t heading in the direction of the Abandoned Dorm. Whether this meant that he had decided to take her warning seriously for now, she didn’t know. But all the same, she was still curious as to where he was going at this hour.

As they got into more open terrain, it became more of a challenge for Alexis and Zane to avoid being noticed by Aster. At one point, he turned around so suddenly that they just barely had time to dart behind one of the few trees around them before Aster saw them. Even with the darkness provided by nighttime, they still had to be on their toes as much as possible. Maybe Aster would forgive Zane if they were caught, but Alexis didn’t want to see how he would react to her being there.

After what seemed like an eternity, Aster finally stopped walking. But what puzzled Alexis was  _ why  _ he had decided to here of all places. He was in the middle of a wide, open stretch of a grassy field. There was absolutely nothing remarkable about the area.

From their place behind a small grove of bushes, Alexis and Zane watched Aster take a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. After carefully unfolding it, he then started studying the contents. It appeared to be a map of sorts, but of what exactly, Alexis had no idea. It wasn’t like maps of the Duel Academy island were made and given out to students-let alone faculty-like this.

Alexis didn’t have anymore time to wonder about how Aster seemed to have acquired the island’s blueprints when he started to do something even more surprising. Aster had crouched down so that he was on his hands and knees and was now prodding the ground underneath him, lightly pressing and knocking his hands everywhere.

“What’s he doing?” Alexis whispered to Zane in confusion.

Before Zane could answer, Aster paused at one area of the ground after knocking on it. He then tapped it lightly again with his fist. A hollow sound reverberated from the place he had touched. Satisfied, he started digging a bit through the grass. Eventually, he pulled out a long chain with a lever-like device from the spot. Alexis watched in amazement as Aster pulled on it until the ground itself came up to reveal an underground entrance with a stairway leading down.

“It’s like a trapdoor in a movie!” Alexis said in amazement. She never thought that there was something like this on the island.

“I had no idea something like this even existed here…” Zane trailed off in surprise. Just how had Aster been able to go about finding something like this?

“We should follow him!” Alexis insisted.

“Wait. It looks like there are still some precautions he has to take first.” Zane said as he pointed toward Aster, who was now busy typing away on his cell phone.

“Now what is he doing? Texting for back-up forces?” Alexis asked sarcastically.

“I don’t know, but I’m guessing there could be some security measures in place down there that he is dealing with. Let’s wait until he goes inside.” Zane cautioned.

“Geez. You make it sound like he’s Batman or something, Zane.” Alexis said with a slight eye roll.

“Okay, let’s go in now.” Zane said after Aster had walked down the stairs.

Xxx

Once they were under the trapdoor, Alexis and Zane discovered that the area itself wasn’t very large. Just a short hallway leading to one larger room. However, it was what was inside the room itself that surprised them. Aster was seated next to a large computer terminal, typing away at the keyboard in front of him. From where they were hidden behind a large pillar closer towards the hallway, they couldn’t see exactly what was on the screen, though.

“Okay, I take back what I said earlier, because he is starting to look a whole lot more like Batman now…” Alexis said wryly.

“Shh… Let’s stay quiet and wait until he’s done so that we can check it out a bit ourselves. We might find some answers.” Zane advised.

Alexis nodded quietly in agreement. If they could find anything on that computer that contained information about Atticus and the other missing students, then this would all be worth it.

Luckily, Alexis and Zane didn’t have too long to wait for their chance. After about ten minutes, Aster gave a frustrated sigh and logged off from the computer. He then got up resolutely and left through the trapdoor. Once he was gone for about a minute, they came out from their hiding place.

Zane gazed towards what looked like a security camera perched on the wall not far above them. There was no light of any kind coming from it.

“Looks like he jammed the signal connecting to the island’s security system. That’s probably what he was doing on his phone earlier. But it may not hold for very long, so we should try to be as quick as we can.” Zane cautioned.

_ Just how is Aster able to do all of this!?  _ Alexis thought to herself. She couldn’t help thinking that maybe she was better off not knowing the answer to that question, though.

Once they were both in front of the computer, Zane started pulling up what Aster had been looking at before.

“Anything that can help us?” Alexis asked after a couple minutes of silence.

“It doesn’t look like it. But I did find something else interesting. Judging from what he’s been looking through, I think I might have an idea just what Aster has been trying to find here.” Zane said thoughtfully.

Alexis looked on carefully as Zane flipped through various articles that Aster must have been looking at judging from his browser history. All of them had one thing in common: a mention of the name of Jared Phoenix.

“Is that-?” Alexis started to ask, not needing to finish her question.

“Yes, that was Aster’s father.” Zane elaborated.

“Was?” Alexis repeated quietly. She didn’t know why she hadn’t thought of it before, but obviously, Aster must have had family. Maybe it was because she was always so eager to be away from his presence, but Alexis hadn’t considered the awful possibilities behind the fact that she never saw him at school for Family Day or just where he went during those weekends aside from his dueling matches.

“I think you’ll understand things a bit better if we look at this.” Zane said as he pulled up one article.

“Okay, let’s see here… Jared Phoenix, worked as a well-known card designer for Industrial Illusions years back. It says he even made a special series of cards that were never released to the general public. Eventually had a son with his wife, Valerie Drake-Phoenix. And of course, that would be the pro duelist that we are so familiar with, Aster Phoenix. Lost his wife in a car crash about a year after Aster was born. Then when Aster was eight years old, Jared was found murdered in his home. According to this, the details from the reports were sketchy. But it the police believe it had something to do with one of the exclusive cards Mr. Phoenix had created that was found to be missing after the murder occurred. To this day, the killer was never found and is still at large. After that, Aster was- Oh, dear…” Zane stopped short in the middle of reading the article.

“What is it? Why’d you stop?” Alexis pressed. This was already turning out to be more horrible than she had imagined, but she felt like she had to know all the details. For the first time, Alexis realized that she felt sorry for Aster. To lose not just his mother, but his own father, too… And all over a card game if the reports about the killer’s motive were correct. If she were Aster, Alexis didn’t think that she would even want to  _ look  _ at a Duel Monsters card ever again. As it was, she had had some difficulty finding the motivation to get back into the game after Atticus’ disappearance knowing that he had vanished from a school that taught all about the game itself.

“It says here that not long after his father was killed, there was an apparent suicide attempt by Aster. He was then placed in the Brookdale psychiatric hospital for a short stay to recover from the trauma before he was adopted not long afterwards.” Zane read soberly.

Alexis was too stunned to speak. She could only guess at just how hard grief could hit someone in situations like these. But to hear about a child so young attempting to end their own life was quite another thing. And to make things even harder, she just couldn’t picture Aster being so depressed as to want to make such a decision. As much as she tried, she just  _ couldn’t  _ picture him like that. Aster was always so confident and full of himself. But maybe that was just the only side of himself that he  _ wanted  _ others to see.

“I guess that being what he’s been through could make anyone be more inclined to have an attitude as bad as his. At least  _ some  _ of the time, maybe…” Alexis admitted somewhat reluctantly.

“Perhaps. But I think there may be more to it than that. If anything, this could explain why Aster is here in the first place. I’m thinking that if they never found who killed his father, Aster believes that there is something on this island that could lead to clues about that.” Zane speculated.

“But that doesn’t make any sense! It says that they think the murderer stole some special, unique card from Mr. Phoenix. So why wouldn’t Aster be looking at Industrial Illusions itself or some other place that has to do with card manufacturing? This is just a school for dueling!” Alexis argued.

“Your guess is as good as mine. It’s true that we don’t know what Aster may have already looked into, or what led him to believe that he will find anything here. But at least we understand his motives a little more now. We should keep an eye out for more clues to this, ourselves. If anything, there seems to be a lot of strange things going on here on this island.” Zane answered seriously.

“For sure…” Alexis agreed, still feeling a bit overwhelmed by the discoveries they had made about Aster. She wasn’t about to make any allowances for him because of his past if he kept up his attitude. But she somehow had a feeling that this wasn’t the last of the revelations that would be revealed about him. In a way, Alexis felt that she had one thing in common with Aster: they were both here on a mission of their own to find the answers they were looking for about their family. But she didn’t realize just how much closer it would end up drawing them together…

  
  
  
  
  
  



	10. Chapter 10

Dr. Crowler tapped his foot impatiently on the ground near the lighthouse as he waited for the person he was supposed to be meeting. Thanks to Chazz’ failure during the exhibition match, he was running out of ways to deal with Aster. He had initially thought that a loss in front of the entire school would be the perfect way to ruin Aster’s dueling career and convince him to leave Duel Academy. But he should have known that Aster would find a way to win. This time, Dr. Crowler decided that more drastic action would be needed. While his first expulsion scheme had backfired on him, this time things were sure to be different. The man whose services he had sought out was known for his efficiency. Even if he failed to defeat Aster in a duel, chances were that he would still be able to expel him from being in the wrong place at the wrong time if the plan worked out. Now, if only his guest would show up…

“I believe you are the one who has requested my services?” A deep voice sounded behind Crowler, causing him to let out a surprised yelp.

Dr. Crowler turned around to see the new arrival. Standing behind him was a tall, broadly built man wearing a long coat and brimmed hat, complete with a mask concealing his eyes.

Regaining his composure, Dr. Crowler smiled and answered the man. “I most certainly did. Thank you for arriving on such short notice, Mr., umm…” He fumbled at the end.

“Titan.” The menacing-looking man answered simply.

“Yes, that’s it. Now, Mr. Titan. Since we have already gone over the specifics of what I require from you in this job during our phone conversation, all you’ll really need now is your target.” Dr. Crowler said. He handed Titan a photo of Aster. It was part of a promotional ad for one of his matches at the Kaiba Dome, so it had been easy enough for him to acquire.

Titan frowned slightly in recognition as he looked at the photo. “This boy is a professional duelist. You didn’t say anything about that before.” He pointed out.

“Why should that make any difference? I already told you that it isn’t necessary for you to actually win the duel. I just need it set up so that he gets caught at the Abandoned Dorm, and this is the perfect way to accomplish that.” Dr. Crowler said.

“Oh, I assure you that this won’t hinder the completion of the task itself. But since I’m dealing with an opponent of a higher caliber, I will require a higher amount of payment to match that.” Titan said shrewdly.

Dr. Crowler couldn’t help grumbling slightly at Titan’s words. “Alright, fine. As long as the desired result is achieved, I suppose I shouldn’t complain… Now, I’ve already spread rumors of suspicious activity going down at the Abandoned Dorm. And knowing how much Aster loves a chance to be the center of attention, he should show up there tonight. Word has it that he already frequents places on the island after hours. So, with a little luck, everything should fall into place tonight. I’m counting on you.” He encouraged Titan.

Titan grinned wickedly. “Don’t worry. Expelled or not, that boy will be too frightened to ever want to duel again once I’m through with him. I’ll be sure to let the shadows give him a warm welcome…” He trailed off.

Xxx

Alexis stood in front of her usual place near the entrance to the Abandoned Dorm. But she wasn’t here to wish for her brother’s safety. For the first time ever, she was  _ hoping  _ for Aster to show up. After her and Zane’s discovery about him, Alexis realized that she and Aster had one thing in common: they were both on a mission for their family. Even though Aster’s father wasn’t alive anymore, it didn’t make his goal any less meaningful. Despite how much they had been at odds with each other since arriving at Duel Academy, Alexis couldn’t help feeling like she wanted to help him. So, here she was waiting for him. Alexis figured that it might be possible for Aster to come back here again since he had failed to find anything in the underground computer terminal. It was worth a try, at least.

Luckily, Alexis didn’t have long to wait. Aster showed up a few minutes later. When he saw her standing there, he gave a sigh of exasperation.

“Back again, are we? You may as well save the lecture, because you’re not going to change my mind.” Aster said defensively.

Even though her heart felt like it was pounding with nervousness, Alexis forced herself to speak. “I’m not here to do that. I-I’m here because I want to help you.” She managed to get out.

Aster raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise at Alexis’ words. He didn’t know where this sudden change of heart had come from, but he was still suspicious.

Alexis decided to tell all. “I know about what happened to your father. Zane and I followed you last night and saw what you were looking into on the computer under the trap door.” She continued.

“You know nothing.” Aster said coldly.

“I know I don’t know the whole story, but at least I can understand a little of what you are going through, Aster. I came here to find something, too. And it’s not something I can just give up on. If you let us help you, then maybe we could find out more.” Alexis suggested.

“Zane. I should have known that he would try to check up on me like this… But I wasn’t expecting something like this from you, I admit. I appreciate your sentiment, Alexis. But this doesn’t concern you or anyone else. It’s something I need to do alone.” Aster explained. It was the first time he had ever used her name when talking to her.

“Don’t be so stubborn! You’re not going to get anywhere by just coming back here all the time and trying to dig up more information down in that bat cave by yourself! You need to know more about what is really going on here. I- I mean, we could help you!” Alexis insisted.

“The bat cave? Seriously? Okay, now I  _ know  _ that you’ve lost it. Look, I don’t need anybody’s help. So just stay out of my way. We’re done here.” Aster said firmly.

“Fine. Just see how far you get by yourself, Aster. I tried to help you, but I guess I should have known that your ego was too big for there to be room for anything else in your head to appreciate that. So, good luck with that.” Alexis said icily. Without another word, she turned around and walked quickly away from Aster towards the other side of the building.

Aster let out an irritated sigh once Alexis was out of sight. He had thought that she had wanted nothing to do with him, so just where was all this about wanting to help him suddenly coming from? He couldn’t predict her at all, and it was just turning out to be more trouble than it was worth to deal with her.

Xxx

Alexis strode angrily around the other side of the building, still fuming from the encounter with Aster. Once again, she regretted even attempting to try reasoning with him. He obviously thought he was too cool to take help from anyone, and that was  _ his _ problem, not hers.

_ But he wasn’t completely ungrateful…  _ Alexis couldn’t help telling herself as she recalled some of Aster’s words. He hadn’t said that she was useless to him or anything that bad. It just sounded like he preferred to work alone more than anything else and that it wasn’t a personal issue with her.

_ But why? Why does he distance himself from others like this so much, even when they are trying to help him?  _ Alexis wondered to herself.

Before Alexis could think about it any further, she felt strong arms grab her from behind. She had thought that she and Aster were the only ones here, but whoever had her now was much larger than him. She tried to pull herself free, but it was no use.

Before Alexis could make a sound, a large hand was placed over her mouth, effectively silencing her. She could only squirm feebly as her kidnapper carried her through one of the busted windows of the dorm.

Once they were inside, Alexis was carried until they were in one of the rooms. “HELP! LET ME GO!” She screamed in terror as soon as the hand was removed from her mouth.

Right when it appeared that her captor was starting to loosen his hold on her, she felt a dampened cloth pressed against her face. With horror, Alexis recognized the scent on it: chloroform. Who knew what this crazy man was going to do to her while she was knocked out? Would she even wake up at all?

As she felt the last bits of her strength start to fade, Alexis spoke up while she still had the chance to. “Please! You don’t have to do this! I won’t tell anyone about you; I promise!” She begged desperately.

The man sighed wearily at Alexis’ words. “Look, this is just part of the job and nothing more. I’ll let you out later when this is all over.” He said in a tone that sounded more bored than reassuring.

Trying to hold onto hope and make herself believe in the masked man’s reassurance, Alexis felt herself succumb to unconsciousness as the effect of the chloroform took over.

Xxx

Aster walked along the halls of the Abandoned Dorm quietly, using the flashlight function on his cellphone to help guide his way. Despite having traversed the place before, there was still one room that he hadn’t explored yet. The door was locked so tightly that the most Aster had been able to do was try whittling down the lock a little at a time with the resources he had. Just the fact that there was only one locked door in a supposed out-of-bounds building that anyone could walk right into struck him as odd. But until he could acquire better tools during the weekend, there was only so much he could do about it.

Aster passed by walls decorated with Egyptian-style carvings of what looked to be the seven Millennium Items. Having seen this already on his previous trips, he barely looked at them now. However, Aster stopped short when he felt his foot hit something on the ground. Pausing to shine his flashlight on the object, Aster saw that it was a framed picture. Curious, he knelt to pick it up. There was a photograph of a boy who looked only a little older than himself. He had long brown hair and eyes and was wearing the Obelisk Blue school uniform. At the bottom of the photo, the name, “Atticus Rhodes” was signed. The last name surprised Aster. Was the boy in the photo somehow related to Alexis? Zane had mentioned something about her having a brother, just not whether he was a student here or not. If he was, that might explain why Alexis was here so much. Was this Atticus somewhere around here still? And why hadn’t this picture been here before when Aster was here? Did Alexis come in here earlier and drop it, maybe? Either way, he figured that she would want this, so Aster carefully pocketed the picture.

Before Aster could wonder about anything else, he heard a terrified scream that sounded like it belonged to Alexis. Alarmed, he immediately broke into a run towards where he had heard it coming from. As irritating as he found her most of the time, Aster knew that he couldn’t just sit back and do nothing while Alexis was in trouble.

_ This is all my fault! I should have just let her tag along with me. Then this wouldn’t have happened!  _ Aster cursed himself as he hurried through the hallways.

Aster entered a large room and finally found the source of the commotion. Standing in the middle of the room was a large, muscular-looking masked man dressed in a long coat and brimmed hat. Aster noticed that he had a duel disk on his arm, but even more surprising was what the man wore around his neck. The man’s pendant looked like the Millennium Puzzle from the mural in the hallway. But surely that couldn’t be right. Aster figured that it was just some kind of replica. More importantly, Alexis was behind the man in some sort of creepy coffin. The lid was opened to reveal her unconscious form. At least, Aster  _ hoped  _ she was only unconscious.

“Welcome, boy. So good of you to join me here. My name is Titan, the Shadow Duelist. And I will have the pleasure of sending you to your doom once I trap your soul to wander in the darkness for all eternity!” The man greeted Aster.

“I don’t give a damn who you are! Let Alexis go right now, you bastard!” Aster shouted furiously.

Titan chuckled at Aster’s outburst. “It looks like I’ve got an energetic one here! But if you want to save the girl, then you’ll have to defeat me in a duel first.” He said in amusement.

“Why don’t I just tear you limb from limb instead!?” Aster said through gritted teeth.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. That is, if you want any hope of opening this casket easily.” Titan warned. With a slight hand motion from him, the lid to Alexis’ coffin slid shut a little.

“Only I know how to open this once it’s closed, so I’d consider my actions carefully if I were you, boy.” Titan warned Aster.

“Fine. I’ll duel you first. But once I win, don’t expect to get away with any of this!” Aster vowed. He didn’t like it, but Titan had backed him into a corner to accept this duel. From the looks of it, the mechanism of Alexis’ coffin was controlled through motion activation from the owner somehow. And Aster didn’t want to take any chances.

“Good decision! Now, the shadows yearn to feast on your soul, so let’s not keep them waiting any longer.” Titan said ominously.

“Again with this nonsense? Please, enough with the bogus occult scare tactics already. They won’t help you against me.” Aster said exasperatedly.

“DUEL!” They both shouted.

“I’ll take the first move. I summon Infernal Queen Archfiend  **(ATK 900 DEF 1500) ** in attack position. Thanks to its effect, all monsters with “fiend” in their names gain a one-thousand attack point bonus, thus raising its own attack as well.  **(Infernal Queen Archfiend ATK 900-1900)** Next, I activate the field spell, Pandemonium! Not only does it allow me to bypass any maintenance costs for fiends, but if any of them are destroyed outside of battle, it will revive them as well. That ends my turn. Now, show me what you can do, boy!” Titan said.

“Fine. It’s my turn.” Aster said calmly, determined to keep his head in the duel.

_ Not a great start… Looks like I’ll have to bide my time for now until I can go on the offensive.  _ Aster thought to himself as he looked at what he had to work with in dismay.

“I summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix  **(ATK 1200 DEF 800)** in defense position. Then, I’ll set three cards facedown and end my turn.” Aster said.

“My turn. I summon Terrorking Archfiend  **(ATK 2000 DEF 1500)** . It can only be summoned if there is another monster with “fiend” in its name on my side of the field. Luckily, I already have Infernal Queen Archfiend. And speaking of, Terrorking Archfiend also gets a one-thousand attack point boost thanks to its effect.  **(Terrorking Archfiend ATK 2000-3000). ** And now, I attack your monster with Infernal Queen Archfiend!” Titan said.

“I activate my trap card, Sakuretsu Armor! It destroys the monster you are attacking with!” Aster announced as he revealed his facedown card.

“Don’t be so sure about that yet, boy. When Infernal Queen Archfiend is targeted by a trap, I get to roll a die. And if it comes up as either a two or a five, the effect is cancelled, and your trap is destroyed. Now, let’s see who it will favor.” Titan said.

Aster watched as a roulette wheel of sorts composed of six different numbered balls in a circle appeared. He hated chance effects in duels since they could be out of his control once they got going. Grimacing, he watched as it stopped revolving on the 2 ball.

“Looks like you aren’t so fortunate this time. Say goodbye to your trap and your monster!” Titan declared as his attack went through and destroyed Elemental Hero Burstinatrix.

“I activate my trap card, Hero Signal! When one of my monsters is destroyed in battle and sent to the graveyard, I can special summon one level four or lower Elemental Hero from my hand or deck! And I choose to bring out Elemental Hero Avian  **(ATK 1000 DEF 1000)** in defense mode!” Aster announced.

“But Terrorking Archfiend will still just destroy it. Attack!” Titan commanded. Avian was gone almost as soon as it arrived as Titan’s monster blasted it apart.

“I end my turn. You may have gotten away with taking any damage this turn, but I guarantee you that that will change soon.” Titan promised.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I’ve heard it all before and nothing ever comes of it.” Aster said wearily.

“Perhaps you will start taking this more seriously now, then. Prepare to meet your end, for I call upon the power of the Millennium Puzzle to start the Shadow Game!” Titan announced dramatically.

Aster watched as Titan’s pendant started to glow. Then, a dark mist surrounded them as large statue columns rose up all around them. He didn’t know exactly how Titan was doing all this, but he figured there was a trick mechanism behind it all. He refused to believe it was any kind of ancient magic.

“So, you’re good with special effects. Bet you’d be a real hit at kids’ birthday parties.” Aster joked.

“You still don’t believe in my powers?” Titan asked dubiously. In truth, he had been counting on being able to scare Aster with all this since he wasn’t so sure he could defeat him in a duel with him being a pro duelist. But if that ended up backfiring on him, then his job might all end up being for nothing.

“Dude, I know that that isn’t the Millennium Puzzle. It was buried underground again in Egypt along with the other items. So, unless you’re rich enough to bribe the Egyptian government like Seto Kaiba is back when he tried an excavation down there about ten years ago, then this all just a good smoke and mirrors act with a replica around your neck.

“Your skepticism is warranted, I suppose. But that will change once you experience the effects the shadows will leave on you.” Titan said.

“Whatever. My turn! I play the spell card Pot of Greed to draw two cards from my deck. Then, I’ll play my trap card, Curse of Anubis. It switches all effect monsters on the fields into defense position and changes their defense points to zero for this turn. And since it isn’t targeting your monsters, you can’t use their effects to stop it.” Aster said.

“Clever. But why didn’t you use this earlier since you had it all this time? You could have saved your monster from my attack before.” Titan pointed out.

“Because a true pro never reveals his secrets. Now, I activate King of the Swamp’s  **(ATK 500 DEF 1100) ** from my hand. By discarding it from my hand, I get to add one Polymerization spell card from my deck to my hand. But that’s not all. I play the spell card Monster Reborn to special summon him to the field. You see, King of the Swamp has another handy little trick that allows me to use it as a substitute for one of the monsters I need for a fusion. That way, I can now use Polymerization to fuse it with the Elemental Hero Sparkman  **(ATK 1600 DEF 1400) ** to fusion summon Elemental Hero Darkbright  **(ATK 2000 DEF 1000)** .” Aster explained.

“Now, I attack Terrorking Archfiend with Elemental Hero Darkbright! And don’t think that just losing your monster is the only thing you need to worry about. When Darkbright attacks a monster in defense position, you lose life points equal to the difference between its attack and your monster’s defense, and there is nothing they can do about it either!” Aster said triumphantly.

“Oh, no!” Titan said in horror. Thanks to Curse of Anubis’ effect, his monsters still had zero defense points, so this would take half of his life points.

“After Darkbright attacks, it is switched to defense mode. And with that, I’ll set one card facedown and end my turn.” Aster said.

**Aster LP- 4000 Titan LP- 2000**

Despite how skeptical he was of Titan’s “Shadow Game”, Aster couldn’t stop his eyes from widening a little when he saw half of Titan’s body seemingly disappear into the dark mist around them.

“Congratulations, boy. That one made the shadows take some out of me.” Titan said with a wicked grin.

“Well, good then. Just another nice reminder for me that you’re halfway to defeat.” Aster said, quickly regaining his composure.

“We’ll just see about that! It’s my turn! Terrorking Archfiend, attack Elemental Hero Darkbright!” Titan said.

“I don’t think so! I activate my trap, Mirror Force! It will destroy your monsters while not being hindered by the targeting effect.” Aster countered. With that, both of Titan’s monsters were destroyed.

“I thought you’d try something like this. I activate Desrook Archfiend’s  **(ATK 1100 DEF 1800) ** effect from my hand. When Terrorking Archfiend is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I can discard Desrook to revive it. And thanks to Pandemonium, whenever a “fiend” is destroyed outside of battle, I can add one with a lower level than it from my deck to my hand. And now that its back, I attack your monster again!” Titan said. This time, Terrorking Archfiend’s attack connected, destroying Elemental Hero Darkbright.

“When Elemental Hero Darkbright is destroyed, I can choose to destroy one of your monsters.” Aster said.

“That won’t happen. The effects of any monster destroyed by Terrorking Archfiend are negated.” Titan said with a smirk.

“Damn it!” Aster cursed in frustration.

Titan laughed. “My fiends are invincible! No matter how many ways you find to destroy them, they always find a way to prevail! That ends my turn!” He gloated.

_ Not good. I’m going to need a miracle now. And speak of the devil, and the devil will appear…  _ Aster thought to himself as he drew a card and then saw what it was.

“I activate my spell card, Miracle Fusion! I’ll use it to banish the monsters in my graveyard to fuse them together! So, I banish Elemental Hero Sparkman and King of the Swamp from my graveyard to use as my fusion materials. Now, out comes Elemental Hero Shining Phoenix Enforcer!  **(ATK 2500 DEF 2100)** He gains 300 extra attack points for each Elemental Hero in my graveyard. And with Avian and Burstinatrix, and Darkbright, I count nine-hundred points!  **(Elemental Hero Shining Phoenix Enforcer ATK 2500-3400)** . Shining Phoenix Enforcer, go! Destroy Terrorking Archfiend! Shimmer kick!” Aster said.

Titan yelled as Terrorking Archfiend was destroyed. With Infernal Queen Archfiend gone, he took more than a little damage from that attack without the power-up boost.

“Don’t think I will be defeated that easily! I discard another Desrook Archfiend from my hand to revive Terrorking Archfiend again!” Titan said angrily.

“Just how many times do I have to kill that eyesore before you learn your lesson? I end my turn.” Aster taunted.

**Aster LP- 4000 Titan LP- 600**

“My turn! I tribute Terrorking Archfiend to summon Skull Archfiend of Lightning!  **(ATK 2500 DEF 1200) ** Now, I play my quickplay spell, Gravity Lash! It decreases the attack of the monster I choose by its defense points for this turn! So, say goodbye to your Shining Phoenix Enforcer!  **(Elemental Hero Shining Phoenix Enforcer ATK 3400-1300) ** Attack, Skull Archfiend of Lightning! Destroy his miserable monster along with all hope he had of winning this duel!” Titan said.

Aster groaned as the impact of Titan’s attack damaged his life points. When he recovered, he was alarmed to see that parts of his body had now also disappeared. It couldn’t possibly be true that Titan had been telling the truth…could it?

Attempting to clear his mind of any panic, Aster recalled some advice that the D had given him before: “ _ Once you are in the dueling arena, you need to forget about everything and anything else and just focus on the duel. Whether you are on the verge of bankruptcy or your dog just died, I don’t care if you’re having the worst day of your life. If you want to win, don’t let anything short of a tornado or other large-scale disaster distract you from a duel.”  _ It was good advice that had served him more than well in the past, so he decided to take it again now. It was time to set his brain into “duel mode” and not think of anything else besides winning.

“Hey! Why isn’t your monster destroyed!?” Titan asked in confusion, breaking Aster out of his thoughts.

Aster smirked at Titan’s reaction. “Looks like I forgot to mention Shining Phoenix Enforcer’s other special ability. He can’t be destroyed in battle!” He answered.

“What!? No!” Titan said angrily.

“Fraid’ so. Looks like your big comeback didn’t turn out the way you wanted it to, huh!?” Aster taunted.

“Impudent brat… I place one card facedown and end my turn.” Titan grumbled.

**Aster LP- 2800 Titan LP- 600**

As Aster laughed arrogantly at Titan, he yanked the puzzle of his neck and threw it to the ground, cracking it in the process. What good was this stupid thing if the kid wasn’t even afraid of his act!?

Suddenly, the eyes of the statues lit up all around the room. The fake mist was replaced by a more menacing fog.

“Wh-What is this!?” Titan asked in alarm.

“You’re  _ still  _ trying to play that charade!?” Aster asked irritably.

“No! You don’t understand! I’m not doing this!” Titan insisted.

Before he could say anymore, a swarm of grotesque leech-like creatures surrounded Titan. He screamed in agony. Then, they cleared away. Titan eyes were now a deep red color and his expression appeared to have changed. Somehow, he seemed colder and more menacing than before.

**“THIS IS A REAL SHADOW GAME NOW. WINNER TAKES ALL AND LOSER BE DAMNED. CONTINUE THE DUEL.” ** Titan’s voice came out in a deep, almost robotic growl that was void of all emotion.

This time, Aster felt like he couldn’t be sure about this being an act anymore. Whatever this was, he knew that he had to end this duel quickly.

“Alright, then. It’s my turn. I attack Skull Archfiend of Lightning with Elemental Hero Shining Phoenix Enforcer!” Aster said.

**“I ACTIVATE MY FACEDOWN CARD, SHRINK! IT REDUCES YOUR MONSTER’S ATTACK POINTS BY HALF! (Elemental Hero Shining Phoenix Enforcer ATK 3400-1700)” ** Titan declared.

“Too bad! I activate my quick play spell, Mask Change, from my hand to special summon Masked Hero Goka  **(ATK 2200 DEF 1800) ** by tributing a fire-type Elemental Hero! And it gains one-hundred attack points for each hero in my graveyard!  **(Masked Hero Goka ATK 2200-2600) ** Now, finish off his monster, Goka!” Aster countered. Skull Archfiend of Lightning exploded from the attack.

It was only one-hundred life points lost. But Titan yelled in pain from the attack enough to make Aster think that this didn’t seem like the usual reaction someone could have from the duel disk’s Solid Vision system.

“I end my turn.” Aster said warily.

**Aster LP- 2800 Titan LP- 500**

**“MY TURN. I PLAY ONE CARD FACEDOWN AND END MY TURN.” ** Titan said. He hadn’t been able to summon any monsters, but if all went well, his trap card would be more than enough to turn the tables.

“It’s my turn.” Aster said.

_ Yes. This should be just what I need to end this if his card is what I think it is…  _ Aster thought to himself carefully.

“I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart  **(ATK 1500 DEF 1600)** in attack position. Now, it is time to end this duel! I attack you directly with Wildheart!” Aster said.

**“NOT SO FAST! I ACTIVATE MY TRAP CARD, DROWNING MIRROR FORCE! IT SENDS ALL OF YOUR ATTACKING MONSTERS BACK TO YOUR DECK!” ** Titan said.

“I’m sorry, but Elemental Hero Wildheart is unaffected by trap cards! So, your trap can’t save you!” Aster said triumphantly.

Titan screamed in agony as Wildheart attacked him directly and wiped out the rest of his life points.

**Aster LP- 2800 Titan LP- 0 Winner- Aster**

Before Aster could gloat anymore about his win, Titan seemed to break out of his stupor. His eyes returned to normal and he gazed around confusedly. But then, the hideous creatures from before engulfed him again. Except this time, they dragged Titan downwards until he started to slowly sink into the floor.

“Ah-AH! Help me! Help me, please!” Titan begged Aster, holding out his hand for him.

Aster walked over to Titan. When he started to hold out his hand, Titan looked relieved. But then, Aster quickly snatched his hand back.

“Wh-What are you doing!?” Titan asked fearfully.

“What? You actually thought that I was going to  _ help  _ you? Oh, goodness no.” Aster said with a sadistic smile.

“But it was just a duel! I didn’t-“ Titan sputtered. 

“You see, criminals like you make me sick. Going around doing whatever you please without even giving a damn just how much your actions can ruin a person’s life. Human garbage like you is…everything that’s wrong with this world. So, your worthless life can be devoured by the shadows for all I care!” Aster said furiously. He then turned and walked away from Titan without another glance

“NO! PLEASE! COME BACK! YOU HAVE TO HELP ME! AAAGHH!” Titan screamed in terror as he was pulled under by the creatures.

Once Titan was gone, the creatures and weird mist dissipated as well. Aster looked around the room until he spotted Alexis again. The lid to her coffin was now wide open and she appeared to be slowly waking up now. He walked over to where she was.

“Alexis, are you alright?” Aster asked her. There was no concern in his voice. He was simply trying to assess her condition.

“Aster? What are you doing here? What happened? Last I remember, there was a man who kidnapped me and brought me to this room, and then I was knocked out…” Alexis said dazedly.

“You mean Titan? He’s gone now.” Aster said. There was a cold edge of finality in his tone that made Alexis afraid to ask just what that meant.

“Wait. Did you…save me?” Alexis asked carefully.

“I didn’t do it for you.” Aster answered simply.

“That doesn’t mean that I can’t appreciate it!” Alexis said defensively.

“Look, let’s just get out of here. We’ll get in trouble if we get caught here by anyone.” Aster said firmly.

“Fine by me.” Alexis agreed, eager to leave the creepy surroundings and get back to the nice, safe Obelisk Blue girls’ dorm.

Xxx

Once they were outside, Aster and Alexis faced each other, not sure what to say.

“Well…I guess I’ll head back now. Thanks again, Aster.” Alexis said awkwardly.

“I’ll walk you back.” Aster said.

“You don’t need to do that…” Alexis insisted uncomfortably.

“Look, the last thing I need is to have to save you again. I’ve had enough excitement for one night. So, just let me make sure you get back to your dorm again.” Aster said wearily.

“Now that sounds more like your usual self. Fine, you can walk back with me.” Alexis relented.

Xxx

For a few minutes, Aster and Alexis walked along in silence. However, since it was still a ways to the girls’ dorm, Alexis felt like she had to try saying something if she wanted any hope of finding out what else had happened in the Abandoned Dorm.

“So… Are you going to tell me anything about what happened in there?” Alexis asked quietly.

“Normally, I would want to keep something like this to myself since I’m not sure you’d believe me anyway. But since you were a victim because of all this, you have a right to know.” Aster admitted somewhat reluctantly.

Alexis listened carefully as Aster explained everything. About the duel with Titan and his claim of Shadow Games and his false Millennium Puzzle. She couldn’t help widening her eyes in surprise when he got to the part about Titan changing and then being dragged into the shadows.

“Oh, and before I forget, I found this right before I met Titan. It was just laying in the hallway. I hadn’t seen it here before, so I figured you had dropped it. Especially after seeing it. Here.” Aster said. He took the picture of Atticus out of his pocket and handed it to Alexis.

“Oh my god! It’s Atty! How did this get there!?” Alexis said in shock as she looked at the smiling image of her brother.

“I don’t know. I’ve searched the place pretty thoroughly a couple times now and never saw it before. I thought it was yours…” Aster said perplexedly.

“It’s not mine, it’s my brother’s. He had this from last year before he…disappeared.” Alexis admitted sadly.

“Disappeared? What do you mean? Zane told me that you had a brother. But he didn’t tell me anything more than that.” Aster said curiously.

“That’s because there isn’t a whole lot we know to tell… The Abandoned Dorm used to be a regular building. It was a dorm for special students. Ones who were gifted beyond the usual standards of Obelisk Blue. My brother, Atticus, was one of them. Then one day, when he didn’t come home for a visit, Mom and Dad called the school to try finding out if they knew anything. They claimed that he had opted to join Duel Academy’s new study abroad program, along with the other students from the dorm. But nobody had heard anything from them about this. In reality, there is no study abroad program. Zane and I tried everything we could to trace it, but it exists in name only and nothing else. We still don’t know what happened to the missing students…” Alexis explained somberly.

“So, the faculty is covering it’s butt by just pretending the problem doesn’t exist since there’s no real evidence against them.” Aster said matter-of-factly.

“That’s right. But that’s why I came here. I have a feeling that there is something here that can link to what happened to Atticus. I have to believe that. And after the strange things that happened tonight, I’m surer than ever.” Alexis said determinedly.

For a moment, Aster was silent.  _ In a way, she’s just like me… Here to find any answers we can for the sake of our families.  _ He thought to himself. He had initially thought that Alexis was just another annoying duelist wannabe who had enrolled here in hopes of gaining a path to fame. But now he was starting to believe that maybe he had been wrong about her…

“Fighting for someone else can be just as much as a burden if you lose sight of yourself in the process. Just remember that.” Aster said seriously.

For a moment, Alexis wasn’t sure how to respond to Aster. He sounded sure of himself, but at the same time, she thought that she saw a hint of sadness in his eyes as well.

“Alright, I will...” Alexis answered simply.

  
  
  
  
  
  



	11. Chapter 11

Aster sat on the balcony of his dorm room while he sipped some green tea that he had made, still going over the events from last night. The sun was still coming up over the horizon, giving the sky that hazy, early morning look to it. He had made some interesting discoveries about what had been going on at Duel Academy itself with Alexis’ brother and the other missing students. Yet he wasn’t any closer to his true objective: finding who had killed his father. Despite not taking the time to go through Titan’s deck, something told Aster that he wasn’t the culprit. He didn’t think someone who seemed to be acting on orders like him had done this. No; Aster had a feeling that whoever had taken his father’s card and snuffed out his life was a mastermind, not a follower. There was something bigger behind all this, and it was too carefully planned to leave up to a second party in any way. Or at least one as incompetent as Titan had been. Aster didn’t like it, but he had pretty much hit a wall again at this point. The only other thing left he could investigate more was that locked room in the Abandoned Dorm that he hadn’t been able to get into so far. Whether it had any clues for him, he didn’t know. But he felt like doing _ something _was better than nothing at all, even if he was grasping at straws at this point.

Aster’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud, insistent pounding on the door to his room. It was so loud that he could hear it from where he was outside on the balcony. Feeling annoyed by the interruption, he got up from his seat and went back into his room.

“Open up! This is the Academy Disciplinary Task Force!” An authoritative female voice commanded from the other side of the door.

Scowling, Aster opened the door. It looked like word had somehow gotten out of his trip to the dorm last night. This was the last thing he needed right now.

“Aster Phoenix, we have received evidence that you were trespassing out-of-bounds past the curfew last night at the Abandoned Dorm! This is a violation of major school rules, and we are hereby ordering you to come with us to discuss your punishment with the Chancellor!” The woman said.

“Please, spare me the drama. Your intimidation tactics won’t work on me. I’m not going anywhere with you guys until I make a phone call to my lawyer first.” Aster said firmly.

Xxx

“As it stands, we have received evidence that both Aster Phoenix and Alexis Rhodes were both trespassing in the Abandoned Dorm after-hours. I would say that this offense at least warrants a suspension. Wouldn’t you agree, Chancellor?” The female task force member-whose name Aster had learned was Lyra-said.

Chancellor Sheppard sighed internally to himself. He hadn’t expected two of the Academy’s best students to break the rules to such a degree. He absentmindedly drummed his fingers on the armrest of his office desk chair while he thought of an answer. Over to his right, he noticed Dr. Crowler’s nervous expression. While he knew that the teacher hadn’t exactly made his dislike for Aster a secret, he clearly hadn’t expected Alexis-one of his favorite students-to be caught in this predicament. They had already questioned her separately on the matter, and while she had admitted to being outside the dorm last night to pay tribute to her brother, she hadn’t mentioned any other details, including Aster.

“I’d say we should hear Aster’s side of the story first before we make any decisions.” Sheppard answered seriously.

From his seat across the table, Aster turned to his lawyer. He was pale and thin, with dark hair and eyeglasses. And facial features and expressions that gave off a creepy-almost sinister-vibe. But Mr. Howard X Miller was among the best lawyers in Japan that money could buy. Perhaps it was his eerie demeanor that threw others off in the courtroom. Or his ability to seemingly weasel his way through any negotiation or law so that his clients came out on top. Either way, he had done nothing but good for Aster in any legal matters he had had to deal with. So, Aster knew that the D had made a good choice when selecting him for his legal counsel. 

After a brief, whispered exchange between Aster and Mr. Miller, the latter spoke up. “There is nothing to say, Chancellor Sheppard. My client was never in the vicinity of the Abandoned Dorm to begin with.” He lied in his creepy, monotone voice.

“Lies! We have evidence that both him and Ms. Rhodes were there last night!” Lyra spoke up in outrage.

“And what exactly is this evidence you claim to have against my client? Photographs? Videos? Audio recordings?” Mr. Miller questioned with an amused smile.

“We- We have eyewitness accounts that can vouch for his whereabouts!” Lyra stuttered nervously. It was obvious that she hadn’t expected to run into this problem at a school for teenagers. She had thought that this would be enough to scare them into not fighting the rules.

“In other words, you have nothing. Someone could easily have spread a lie such as this to ruin my client. Without physical evidence, this case is as we like to say, irrelevant.” Mr. Miller said triumphantly.

Sheppard frowned slightly at Mr. Miller’s words. He didn’t like this situation that his students were in, but he didn’t want to play lawyer games either. “While it may be true that we don’t have any hard evidence, I’d like to think that the word of our task force counts for something. But putting that aside, what about you, Aster? I’d like to hear what you think from yourself if you don’t mind.” He said seriously.

“What can I say? I was never there. It’s not my fault your staff is incompetent enough to believe accusations about me. If you really want to push this, then I suppose we would have to take this to court. But I don’t think you’ll want to do that. Not if you want to keep this school’s reputation in good standing, that is.” Aster said smugly.

“What about Miss Rhodes? Surely you at least wouldn’t want this to impact her negatively?” Sheppard asked, desperate to find some middle ground with Aster.

“She’s not my concern.” Aster said carelessly. But despite his words, a small part of him _ did _feel bad that Alexis was in trouble. Was it pity that he felt for her? Because she had the same type of goal that he did? Whatever it was, he tried to shake it off.

Sheppard couldn’t help feeling saddened by Aster’s words. He wanted the students to get along with each other; to feel like a team. But Aster was still indifferent even now. But at the same time, his thoughts gave him an idea. Maybe there was still hope for Aster after all if it worked…

“How about we compromise? Since this is a school for dueling, what better way to decide this dilemma than by the outcome of a duel itself? Why don’t we have a tag duel? If you and Miss Rhodes can defeat another team of my choosing, then your punishments will be cancelled. But lose, and you are both expelled. That way you both get a fair chance at getting out of this, and we can avoid any messy legal business. What do you say, Aster?” Sheppard suggested kindly.

After another brief whispered council between him and Mr. Miller, Aster responded. “Alright, that will be easy enough for me.” He agreed.

“Yes, let it be known for the record that my client accepts your offer and all that comes with it.” Mr. Miller said with a nod of his head.

“But what of Miss Rhodes!? Chancellor, I don’t know if a challenge like this is good for her well-being right now. Perhaps we can-“ Dr. Crowler spoke up anxiously before he was cut off by Aster.

“She doesn’t have anything to worry about. Because I never lose a duel.” Aster said with a smug smile.

Xxx

“I still can’t believe this has happened. I’ve gone to the Abandoned Dorm a dozen times now and no one has ever suspected a thing.” Alexis said gloomily to Zane as they walked down the school hallway.

“I have a feeling that this has more to do with Aster’s involvement more than anything else.” Zane said thoughtfully.

“Don’t remind me.” Alexis grumbled.

After the disciplinary task force had pounded on the door of Alexis’ room and let the whole dorm know that she had been out after curfew at the Abandoned Dorm, things had gone from bad to worse. Not only was she going to be suspended most likely, but unsavory rumors had also started to spread once word got around that Aster had been there, too. The Abandoned Dorm was something of a hotspot for couples to hang out at. It was said that they went there to make-out and maybe even more. Some people were saying that Alexis was secretly dating Aster. While others said that either she or him were just using the other. From being one of the most popular students in school, Alexis had suddenly become one of the most hated. At least among most of the female students. The male students were mostly a mix of ones blaming Aster for “seducing” her or leering at her because they thought this meant she was easy.

“So, how did he take it when the disciplinary squad came knocking at his door?” Alexis asked casually after a minute.

“He lawyered up.” Zane answered simply.

“What? You mean he can _ do _that!?” Alexis asked incredulously.

“Well, he does have the money for it. And speak of the devil…” Zane nodded towards the door to the meeting room as it opened after he answered Alexis.

Aster and Mr. Miller emerged from the room. From where they were standing, Zane and Alexis couldn’t hear them, but their expressions told them enough. Mr. Miller said something to Aster, causing the latter to smile before responding. Aster spoke breezily, giving a casual wave of his hand. Then they both laughed a little before walking away. Very jolly.

“That’s his lawyer!? He looks creepy!” Alexis said, unable to contain a shudder.

“They certainly didn’t seem very concerned. Hopefully, this will mean good news for you as well.” Zane analyzed.

Xxx

When they reached Alexis’ locker a bit later, an avalanche of letters cascaded out of it as soon as she opened the door. “What is all this!?” She exclaimed.

Curious, Alexis opened one of the letters and read it aloud. “You are just jealous that Aster is a better duelist than you are, so you tried to sabotage him by inviting him to the Abandoned Dorm with you. It’s all your fault if he gets expelled!” She read.

“Oh, please!” Alexis scoffed.

After angrily ripping open another letter, Alexis read its contents out loud, too. “You are a horrible person and Aster deserves so much better than you.” She recited.

As Alexis started to throw away the letter, she felt a wet, sticky substance on her finger. “What is this junk!? Glue!?” She said disgustedly.

Zane placed his hand over Alexis’ wrist and gently pulled her arm away before she could open any more letters. “Don’t open anymore!” He said firmly.

“Fine by me. I’m guessing this is all hate mail? Real mature. They don’t even know what happened there.” Alexis complained.

“You know how rumors work around here, though. Everyone just wants something to gossip about.” Zane said wearily.

Two girls who were walking by noticed Alexis and whispered to each other loudly enough for them to hear. “What a fake she is! Always going on with her “I’m only interested in dueling!”, when all this time, she was just trying to get Aster for herself!” One of the girls said nastily.

“Yeah! I hope she gets expelled!” The second girl agreed vehemently.

As the two girls giggled cruelly at the site of Alexis’ mail as they walked away, Alexis couldn’t help feeling like she had gotten a slap to the face.

“Ignore them.” Zane advised Alexis.

“You’re right. They’re not worth it. I guess I’m just surprised at how fast things escalated…” Alexis said with a weary sigh.

“Don’t worry, Alexis! We still believe in you, too!” A new voice spoke up.

Alexis and Zane turned to see Jasmine, Mindy, and three other girls in front of her. One of them she recognized as Seika Kohinata, the student council president.

“Yeah! We’re your friends, so of course we believe you over these stupid rumors! And anyone should be able to see that it’s plain as day that you and Aster aren’t exactly best pals! Not that you guys would stoop to getting each other in trouble, though.” Jasmine insisted.

“Honestly though, that brat needs to be taught a lesson somehow, in my opinion. Aster never does any of his class clean-up duties whenever it’s his turn. And when we try charging him fines for it as per the rules, he just ignores all our invoices! When I tried talking to him about it, he just said “I daresay I’ve paid enough in tuition already. I’m not obligated to do any more than that.” Every other student understands how important cooperation among us is. But not Aster Phoenix. Oh, no! He thinks he’s far too special for that!” Seika ranted.

“We’ve seen the way Aster treats you in class, Alexis. I don’t care how many other girls here just want to drool over him. He’s a jerk, and he deserves to sweat a little.” One of the other girls next to Seika agreed.

“He’s not…that bad.” Alexis found herself saying. While she knew that Aster was mostly a jerk, Alexis felt like she couldn’t hate him after last night.

“I mean, I don’t think he was doing anything bad over there either.” Alexis said hastily after seeing the girls’ curious looks.

“Well, either way. We just wanted to let you know that we’re on your side here, Alexis. We can vouch for you if need be.” Seika reassured Alexis.

“Thanks, guys. I appreciate it. At any rate, it’s nice to see some people are still sane about all this.” Alexis said gratefully.

Xxx

Aster walked through the hall by himself, deep in thought about the conditions that had been given to him. He had no doubt that he could defeat whoever he was given to duel. But Alexis could end up being a problem. Aster had never been in a tag duel before since all the tournaments and Pro League matches didn’t require it. And that was fine with him since he preferred to work alone. If his partner was someone with more experience as a duelist, like say, another pro duelist or maybe even Zane, then it wouldn’t be so bad. But Alexis wasn’t on his level and could just end up slowing him down. And after what happened to her last night, a high-stakes duel could just end up making her more nervous than anything else.

“Well, look who it is. The school’s top lady-killer.” A nonchalant male voice interrupted Aster’s thought. Two Obelisk Blue boys stood in front of him with smug smiles plastered on their faces.

“What do you losers want? I’m not in a great mood right now.” Aster said impatiently.

“Don’t be like that. You know, we had thought that you were just a prick. But after hearing that you even got Rhodes’ attention, we think that maybe we’ve misjudged you.” The first boy admitted carelessly.

“Yeah, no guy here except the Kaiser has managed to get on good terms with her! So, congratulations, bro!” The second boy jeered.

“Whatever. I could care less.” Aster said coldly.

“Come on, man. All the guys want her. Just admit you do, too!” The first boy insisted.

“What utter rubbish. I don’t have time for this.” Aster said dismissively. He started to walk away.

Suddenly, the boys blocked Aster’s path. The first one was standing just inches away from his face. “Tell us, Phoenix. Just how good was she?” He taunted quietly, a devious grin playing on his face.

Something inside Aster snapped. Before he even realized what he was doing, Aster slammed his fist into the boy’s face, knocking him onto the floor. He howled in pain while nursing his now-bloody nose.

“What did you do, you psycho!?” The second boy yelled accusingly at Aster.

Before Aster could answer, Dr. Crowler came running up to them. “Just what is going on here!?” He asked furiously.

“Dr. Crowler, Aster just came up and hit him for no reason!” The second boy lied.

“Is that so? DETENTION for you then, Mr. Phoenix! Assaulting other students is against school rules and completely inappropriate behavior! Others may be willing to bend the rules for you, but I will not!” Dr. Crowler ranted.

“Wait. It wasn’t like that, Dr. Crowler. I saw the whole thing. He was provoked.” Zane said as he caught up to them.

Dr. Crowler frowned at Zane’s words a bit before he spoke up again. “Hmph. Well, I suppose you’re in enough hot water already. But I better not hear that you have been causing any more trouble!” He warned Aster.

“Come on. Walk with me. We need to discuss some things.” Zane said calmly to Aster. He started walking away from the others, motioning for Aster to follow him.

Xxx

“So, since you know that we are going to be tag dueling together soon, that pretty much solves our problem now. You can duel as you normally would. Just don’t do anything to deliberately mess up my moves and we’ll be fine.” Aster said to Alexis. He and Zane had met up with Alexis earlier and were now sitting outside on the beach together so that they could all talk in private.

“What are you saying!? This is a tag duel, so we need to work together!” Alexis said in disbelief. She couldn't believe that even Aster could be _this _arrogant.

“I don’t need any help.” Aster said cooly. 

“She’s right, Aster. Knowing your partner’s strategies and being in-sync with them and their dueling style is fundamentally important in a tag duel. Your partner’s actions have a lot of weight in how the duel proceeds. I think you should both go over each other’s decks at least.” Zane advised Aster.

“Fine, whatever. I suppose it won’t hurt to get a look.” Aster agreed reluctantly.

For the next few minutes, Aster and Alexis looked at the cards in each other’s decks. Nothing could be heard aside from the occasional murmur and the sound of the waves on the shoreline.

After what felt like forever, Aster spoke up. “You need to fix your deck. It’s split between a fusion and ritual theme. Narrow your focus down a bit. Pick one or the other.” He demanded bluntly.

Alexis was immediately on the defense. “It has always worked out for me before!” She protested.

“Like when you dueled me, you mean?” Aster asked sarcastically.

“That was _ one _time!” Alexis argued futilely.

Aster breathed in slowly, trying to calm himself before saying anymore. “Look, it’s fine for what you deal with around here. But this is different. They are probably going to be calling in other Pro League duelists to go against me. I can’t afford any hindrances. What are you gonna do if you end up with a hand full of ritual spells and polymerizations?” He said seriously.

Aster’s words just annoyed Alexis even more. She hated how he had said they were going to call in other pro duelists to defeat him. Just him, not her as well. It was the complete dismissal of her whatsoever as a duelist that irked her more than anything. She had thought that Aster was starting to get better, but he was just as selfish as ever.

“That won’t happen. Look, I can always swap out a few cards, but I am not changing my whole deck for this!” Alexis insisted.

“Then I might as well be dueling with an AI robot for what good you’ll be doing.” Aster said rudely.

“Okay, that’s it.” Zane spoke up. There was a deadly calm in his voice that caused Aster and Alexis to look at him.

“Aster, I have been patient and put up with your attitude for a long time. But it’s time I put my foot down. You are acting like a spoiled child and have done absolutely nothing to try working with Alexis when she is doing her damnedest to get through everything that happened to her since last night.” Zane said coldly.

Aster couldn’t help feeling a little shocked by Zane’s words. He was used to him pretty much just going along with what he said without much arguing. To hear the calm and collected third-year student telling him off now left him speechless.

Zane continued when nobody said anything else. “If you think cooperating with your partner is a waste of time, that’s fine. But maybe you need something else to start taking this seriously. We are going to duel, right here and right now. If I win, you will start working with Alexis to prepare for this tag duel as a real team and start treating her with respect, no arguments about it. You wanted a duel with me, Aster? Well, you got it!” He proposed.

Alexis couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Things had escalated further than she thought. To think that Aster and Zane were going to duel now. She had no idea how she even felt about this right now.

“Oh, now _ this _ is more like it! I’ve been waiting for you to find your nerve and accept my challenge from our first day for awhile now, Zane. This will be just what I need to get ready for the tag duel. Alright, Zane. I’ll duel you. But a word of caution before we start: you may be an opponent that is worth my time, but don’t expect a win for yourself _ this time _.” Aster promised confidently.

  
  



	12. Chapter 12

Alexis stood off to the side at a distance as Aster and Zane took their positions across from each other and readied their duel disks. She couldn’t believe how quickly things had escalated. One minute, they were getting their decks ready for the tag duel. And now, she was about to see a real duel between the two best duelists at Duel Academy. One thing she was certain of was that she was going to make sure that she paid close attention to this duel. Not just to see who would win, but also to study how Aster used his deck since he would be using it in their tag duel.

“Alright, Zane! Since you are sorely in need of a good challenge instead of the usual simpletons that I’m sure you’ve had thrown at you in this place ‘till now, it’s only fair that I comply with your challenge. So, let’s duel!” Aster said excitedly.

Frowning slightly at Aster’s insult towards the other students, Zane nodded slightly before answering. “You’re on, Aster. I’ll let you take the first move.” He said calmly.

“Don’t mind if I do! I’ll start off by playing Elemental Hero Clayman  **(ATK 800 DEF 2000)** in defense mode. I’ll then play one card face down and end my turn.” Aster said.

“My turn. I play Cyber Dragon  **(ATK 2100 DEF 1600) ** in attack mode. When my opponent has monsters on their field while I don’t, I can special summon him.” Zane explained.

_ What?? What is a Cyber Dragon!? I’ve never even heard of this card before! _ Aster thought to himself in confusion. Clearly, Zane’s move had taken him by surprise.

Zane couldn’t help grinning slightly at Aster’s expression. Against a duelist like Aster, the element of surprise was something he had been counting on to help turn the tables in his favor. So, he had been trying to keep his duels as quiet as possible around school. While Aster was a professional duelist, any inside knowledge about the cyber legacy’s history would most likely be limited to someone with a more recent dueling career. And if he hadn’t seen it before, it also meant that he hadn’t had a chance to study the cards either.

“I’m not done yet, though. Next, I summon Proto Cyber Dragon  **(ATK 1100 DEF 600) ** in attack mode. Now, I play the spell card, Polymerization, fusing Cyber Dragon and Proto Cyber Dragon together to create Cyber Twin Dragon  **(ATK 2800 DEF 2100)** ! Cyber Twin Dragon, attack his Elemental Hero Clayman! Double Strident Blast!” Zane said.

“Not so fast! I activate my trap card, Draining Shield! It stops your attack and recovers my life points by the amount of your monster’s attack points!” Aster announced triumphantly.

“Good play, Aster. But unfortunately for you, my Cyber Twin Dragon can make two attacks in one turn. So, your Clayman will still get destroyed! Attack again, Cyber Twin Dragon!” Zane declared.

Aster watched in frustration as his monster was blasted apart by Zane’s attack. Between Clayman’s high defense and his trap card, he had been counting on being able to keep it in the first turn. But that hadn’t happened.

“Now, I’ll set one card face down and end my turn. Your move, Aster. Show me what you can do!” Zane challenged.

**Aster- LP 6800 Zane- LP 4000**

“Oh, I assure you I’ll do more than that!” Aster vowed as he drew a card and started his turn.

_ I still can’t believe these cyber dragons. How is it possible that I’ve never heard of them when I know about ALL the cards!? No wonder Zane has been so confident about dueling me. I’ll worry about that later, though. Right now, I need to make a counterattack and FAST.  _ Aster thought to himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Alexis. If he lost this, then she might think twice about his abilities as a duelist. He didn’t know why, but for some reason, he  _ really  _ didn’t want to lose in front of her.

“Alright, first, I’ll summon Elemental Hero Solid Soldier  **(ATK 1300 DEF 1100) ** in attack mode. But he won’t be alone for long, because his special ability lets me special summon one level four or lower HERO monster from my hand! So, I’ll use it to special summon Elemental Hero Stratos  **(ATK 1800 DEF 300) ** in attack position! And now that he’s been summoned, I’ll take this chance to use one of his special abilities, too! So, I can destroy spell and trap cards up to the number of HERO monsters on my field aside from himself. And since I don’t like the looks of that face down card of yours, I’ll choose to destroy it!” Aster said.

“Before you do, I’ll activate it! I use my quick-play spell, De-Fusion, to turn Cyber Twin Dragon back into the monsters I used for its fusion!” Zane announced. With his words, Cyber Twin Dragon disappeared from the field back into his extra deck and was replaced by Cyber Dragon and Proto Cyber Dragon.

“Damn it!” Aster cursed.

“Too bad, Aster. I had a feeling you would try to destroy my set card, so I made sure to use something I could play either way.” Zane explained.

“Heh, I wouldn’t talk so big if I were you, Zane. You now have two weaker monsters open for an attack from me. And you better believe that I am going to make the most of that opportunity. So, I think it’s time I did a little fusion of my own! I use Polymerization to fuse Solid Soldier and Stratos into Elemental Hero Great Tornado  **(ATK 2800 DEF 2200)** ! Now, I’ll use his effect to cut all the attack and defense points of your monsters in half!  **(Cyber Dragon ATK 1050 DEF 800 Proto Cyber Dragon ATK 550 DEF 300) ** And finally, when Solid Soldier is sent from my field to my graveyard by the effect of a spell, it lets me special summon one elemental hero besides itself in defense position! So, I’m bringing Stratos back. And this time, I’ll use his other effect to add one level four or lower hero monster from my deck to my hand.” Aster said.

Zane grit his teeth in frustration. He knew what he would be getting himself into when he challenged Aster to a duel, but actually experiencing it was a bit different.

“Now, I attack Proto Cyber Dragon with Elemental Hero Great Tornado!” Aster declared.

The force of the shockwave from Aster’s attack slightly pushed Zane back, forcing him to dig his heels into the ground to stay steady on his feet.

“With that, I’ll place one card face down and end my turn. I was hoping to leave you with an empty field, but I guess that would be too easy for this duel. So, you better take advantage of this while you can.” Aster said.

**Aster- LP 6800 Zane- LP 1750**

“I intend to. Now, it’s my turn. I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards from my deck. Next, I play the field spell, Fusion Gate. I can use it to fuse a monster from the materials in my hand or on my field by banishing them. So, now I can fuse the Cyber Dragon on my field with the one in my hand to form Chimeratech Rampage Dragon  **(ATK 2100 DEF 1600)** ! And when it is fusion summoned, I can destroy my opponent’s spell and trap cards up to the number of monsters I used for its fusion. That means your face down card is destroyed.” Zane said.

“Tch!” Aster said in frustration as his trap card exploded.

“And it only gets worse for you. I activate the spell card, Gravity Lash! For one turn, this lets me decrease your monster’s attack points by the amount of its defense points.  **(Elemental Hero Great Tornado ATK 600)** ” Zane explained.

_ Well, at least Chimeratech Rampage Dragon only has 2100 attack points. With how much life I already have, I still won’t be taking much damage.  _ Aster reasoned to himself.

“I know what you’re thinking, Aster. And you’re wrong. Because it’s time for Chimeratech Rampage Dragon’s other effect to kick in! I send two light attribute machine type monsters from my deck to my graveyard to give it two extra attacks this battle phase!” Zane said.

“Wait,  _ what _ !?” Aster said in shock.

“That’s right! And you have no way to avoid its attacks either. Now, zap ‘em, Chimeratech Rampage Dragon!” Zane said.

Aster’s monster shattered in a blast of light as chimeratech attacked it, causing him to shield his eyes.

“Now, two more times!” Zane commanded.

Aster flinched as stratos was destroyed. Then, the direct attack that followed nearly knocked him off his feet. Groaning slightly in pain, he straightened himself up and assessed the damage.

“I gotta say, Zane! I expected a good challenge from you, and you haven’t disappointed me at all. This is one of the best duels I’ve had a in a long time!” Aster said sincerely.

Zane smiled slightly at Aster’s words. “I feel the same way, Aster. This is fun.” He agreed.

_ I can’t believe I’m seeing this. Not only am I witnessing a very high-level duel, but they are both genuinely enjoying this. Normally, Zane is all business about dueling. And when has Aster ever respected an opponent!?  _ Alexis thought to herself in amazement. And it was true. For once, Aster wasn’t throwing his usual jabs and mocking his opponent. This was a real duel between two duelists who were respecting and pushing each other and themselves to the limit. Clearly, Zane and Aster saw something in each other as duelists that they didn’t in others. At this point, Alexis realized that she would be happy to see either one of them win this duel.

“And on that note, I’ll end my turn.” Zane announced.

**Aster- LP 3200 Zane- LP 1750**

“Alright. It’s my turn now. I’ll start by playing my own Pot of Greed to draw two cards.” Aster said. As he looked at his hand, he smiled triumphantly.

“I admit that this has been a good duel, Zane. But as they say, all good things must come to an end. And that is precisely what is going to happen now. Because you have brought your own defeat upon yourself during your last turn despite how useful Chimeratech Rampage Dragon was for you. Because surely you must have realized that playing Fusion Gate helps me as well?” He said smugly.

Zane only responded by making a slight, uncomfortable noise.

“Well, it’s time to face the consequences of your actions. I use Fusion Gate to fuse Elemental Heroes Woodsman and Burstinatrix from my hand to bring out Elemental Hero Gaia  **(ATK 2200 DEF 2600)** ! And his effect allows me to decrease the attack of your monster by half and add that new amount to his own attack.  **(Chimeratech Rampage Dragon ATK 1050 Elemental Hero Gaia ATK 3250) ** And now that he has more than enough attack points to deal with you, and you have no face down cards to protect yourself, that means this duel is over! You fought well, Zane. I’ll give you that. But not well enough to defeat me. Gaia, attack his monster and end this duel!” Aster said triumphantly.

“That won’t happen! From my hand, I activate Kuriboh’s  **(ATK 300 DEF 200) ** effect! By sending it to the graveyard when you declare an attack, I take zero battle damage from an attack!” Zane said.

“Ugh, you have to be kidding me… But at least your chimeratech is gone now. Fine. I end my turn.” Aster grumbled, irritated that his chance for victory had slipped by.

“Good. Now it’s my turn.” Zane said.

Alexis couldn’t help wincing a little when she saw the expression on Zane’s face once he saw what he had drawn. She knew that look all too well, because it was the one Zane got whenever he knew that he had victory in his grasp.

“I’ve enjoyed this duel, Aster. Probably more than any other I’ve had. Throughout all of it, you’ve managed to take everything I’ve thrown at you and come back stronger. But this is where it ends. First, I summon Cyber Dragon Core  **(ATK 400 DEF 1500) ** in attack mode. And when it is normal summoned, I can add one “Cyber” spell or trap card from my deck to my hand. Next, I play the quickplay spell that I chose from it, Cyberload Fusion. It lets me fusion summon a cyber dragon monster by using cards from my field and face-up banished cards. This is the real purpose behind Fusion Gate for me, because as I’m sure you remember, fusion materials used with it are banished, not sent to the graveyard. This means that I can use the two Cyber Dragons from it along with the one on my field since core qualifies as one on the field to bring out my ultimate monster, Cyber End Dragon  **(ATK 4000 DEF 2800)** ! Now, I attack Gaia with Cyber End Dragon!” Zane said.

“So, what? I still won’t lose the duel from this.” Aster argued.

“Wrong again. I play the quickplay spell, Limiter Removal, doubling its attack points since it’s a machine type monster.  **(Cyber End Dragon ATK 8000)** ” Zane explained calmly.

“WHAT!? NO!!” Aster shouted in alarm as the realization of what Zane’s words meant sunk in.

“Yes! It’s over, Aster.” Zane announced.

Cyber End Dragon’s attack blasted Aster straight off his feet. “Ahhhh!  **(AN: Insert Aster’s Yugioh Duel Link’s loss scream here)** ” Aster yelled as he landed on the ground on his back from the force of the attack.

**Aster- LP 0 Zane- LP 1750 Winner-Zane**

Aster got to his feet slowly, still reeling from what had just happened. He still couldn’t believe that he had actually  _ lost  _ a duel. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not now, and not ever. For a moment, he couldn’t speak. Then, he recalled what the D had told him once before about losing:  _ While they are certainly not desirable, losses are ultimately unavoidable in your career, unless you are me, of course. As long as you keep them to the bare minimum, you can salvage your record, though. The important thing to remember is to never let your opponent see that you are upset by one. Always be gracious and congratulate them for their victory. But also make sure to include the promise of a rematch, and most importantly, WIN that rematch whenever it comes up. Anger and frustration will only make you appear even weaker to your opponents. So, you must save face and not show anymore weakness to them than you already have by losing the duel. _

Slowly, Aster let his face spread into a smile. “That was one amazing duel, Zane. You kept me on the ropes from start to finish by countering everything I did, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I could tell that you were a duelist worth fighting, and you went above and beyond my expectations. Congratulations.” Aster said sincerely. He then walked up to Zane and offered him his hand to shake.

For a moment, Zane looked surprised by Aster’s gesture. But he quickly recovered and shook his hand in return. “Thank you, Aster. It does well to hear you say those words. You dueled spectacularly as well, and you have my respect as a duelist.” He said seriously.

“That’s good to know. However, you should also be aware that I don’t let losses go unpunished. So, once I’m ready, we will have a rematch with a very different outcome, Zane. I can promise you that.” Aster vowed.

“I look forward to it.” Zane said with a grin.

Alexis was surprised by how civil Aster’s reaction was. She had been expecting him to throw a fit or make up excuses to justify himself. But he was actually taking his loss extremely well. Whether it was because he had lost to someone he respected, or something else, she didn’t know. But one thing she knew for sure was that she really hoped this attitude would continue from him. Somehow though, she had the feeling that it wasn’t that simple…

  
  
  



	13. Chapter 13

Aster flipped through his deck idly, not really paying attention to what cards he was looking at. It had only been about an hour since his duel with Zane, and since then, Aster had taken to just sitting around in his room while trying to mentally go over the match and rework his deck for a rematch. But so far, his mind was elsewhere. He still hadn’t been able to find any real information on just what these Cyber Dragons were and where they had come from. He wasn’t used to facing something he wasn’t prepared for, and it had ended up costing him the match. Sure, he could always try using another deck against Zane. But would it really be any different against him?

_ There is one deck that Zane wouldn’t know about that I could use against him… But do I dare risk it?  _ Aster thought to himself hesitantly.

Aster glanced cautiously around his room, as if he were afraid that someone could see what he was doing. Then, he walked over to his chest of drawers and opened it. Hidden deep inside pairs of folded-up socks, he took out a simple, nondescript black deck case. This was where he kept the deck that he hadn’t used in years. It was the deck that his father had made just for him before he died: the Destiny Heroes.

With shaking hands, Aster carefully opened the deck case. He then took a card out and examined it delicately, almost as if it were made of glass or some other breakable substance. Just how long had it been since he had even looked at them? About twelve years now? It almost felt surreal to be handling the cards again after all this time.

“So, you finally decided to pay a visit again, huh!? That’s more like it, now! I had thought you’d forgotten all about us!” A voice suddenly burst through the silence, causing Aster to give a surprised yelp.

Aster turned around swiftly to see the card spirit of Destiny Hero Drawhand floating by his side. He gave a sigh of resentment at the sight. Of course, this would happen again… Why had he believed that it would be any different?

“Yeah! And what’s up with dumping us for those Elemental dudes!? You totally would have won that last duel if you had just used us instead!” Destiny Hero Diamond Dude (who had just now appeared) said indignantly.

Aster watched as one by one, all of the Destiny Heroes from his deck materialized in front of him. Not long after he had been adopted by the D, he had started being able to see and communicate with them. At first, they had been the best friends he had desperately needed during the aftermath of his father’s death. But eventually, he had been led to believe that they were really only good proof that he was starting to go insane. It didn’t help that he seemed to be the only one who could see them either.

“We’ve been through this before. I don’t need you guys to win. I just had a minor setback, that’s all.” Aster replied coldly, breaking his vow to himself that he’d never respond to his hallucinations again in any way.

“Then you wouldn’t be here looking through our deck again if you truly believed that.” Destiny Hero Celestial pointed out, causing most of the others to send a chorus of loud agreements.

“All of you, enough! I have told you all time and time again: Aster won’t ever trust us again until he manages to stop letting his past control him and accepts his destiny.” The authoritative voice of Destiny Hero Dominance spoke up over the din.

Aster shook his head crossly. He knew that going back to acknowledging the Destiny Heroes would only cause trouble for him. He had been warned about that already years ago…

Begin Flashback:

_ “You’re leaving again!? But you just got back!” Eight year-old Aster said in dismay at the D’s announcement. _

_ The D didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he chose to wait until he had retrieved a mug of instant coffee from the microwave and was seated comfortably across from Aster at the kitchen island counter. _

_ “You know that my schedule changes from time to time depending on where my next duels will be. If I don’t leave in time to accommodate for the time zone changes, I’d be late. I don’t get to pick and choose which countries the matches are scheduled to be. I’m at the beck and call of my manager. Someday, you will be too, Aster. So, the sooner you understand that, the better.” The D explained. He didn’t sound sympathetic, though. Only weary, as if he were sick of explaining this. _

_ “I know that. But I just didn’t think that it would be so much…” Aster trailed off helplessly. _

_ “You need to start getting used to being on your own more. It’s part of growing up and becoming independent. As a pro duelist, you’ll be travelling and staying alone a lot. So, the sooner you start adapting to that reality, the easier it will become for you. Believe, you’ll be so busy with everything that you won’t even think about it eventually. It may sound hard, but it’s rewarding in itself all the same.” D explained in what was his attempt at a pep talk. _

_ “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. I guess I’m just still not used to everything yet.” Aster agreed reluctantly. He sounded more like he was trying to convince himself, though. _

_ “That’s the spirit. I know things are still rough for you right now. But you have a lot going for you, Aster. Just focus on your duels and studies and I’ll be back before you know it.” D said encouragingly. _

_ “I will. But will you call me when you get there?” Aster asked hopefully. _

_ “Of course. And I’ll call you after the duel, too. You’re the first person I want to hear about it, after all.” D reassured Aster. _

_ Xxx _

_ Despite what he had told the D before he had left, Aster still felt miserable. Ever since he had been adopted after his brief stay at the Brookdale psychiatric ward, he had discovered that his life with his new legal guardian wasn’t quite the one that he had been hoping for. Sure, Aster was grateful to be taken in and given the privileges he had now with living in the opulent mansion with no expenses spared for his education and material comforts. But it was lonely. Not only was the D rarely home due to his constantly busy Pro League schedule, but Aster barely had time for much else. Every day was basically the same: hours of lessons from a private tutor in various subjects in an accelerated college prep program, then even more time spent with a trainer practicing dueling and studying up on the game in preparation for a Pro League career of his own. Aside from meals and sleeping, Aster didn’t have much in the way of free time during the day, save for a few hours on weekend days.  _

_ When he wasn’t busy focusing on his school work and dueling, Aster spent time with the only friends he had: Sartorius and Sarina. He had first met them while visiting his father’s grave one day. Ever since then, they had become close friends that Aster visited every weekend. Sartorius and Sarina both had powers of prediction that let them see the future in different ways. Like the D, they also would tell Aster that he was destined for great things in his future. But unlike the D, it didn’t sound like an expectation or lecture whenever they told him this. It felt more as if there was genuine warmth and optimism in their words instead. Either way, if it wasn’t for Sartorius and Sarina, Aster would have felt much worse. As it was, he still missed his father terribly and found himself wishing desperately that he could go back in time to him and the warm, familiar apartment they had shared. He never told anyone, but he usually ended up crying himself to sleep at night. _

_ Now, standing in front of the window as he watched his dueling instructor get in his car to leave for the day, Aster sighed sadly to himself. With the D gone for the week, he would be all alone in the house every day after his instructors left. Right now, all he wanted was someone he could talk to during this time. _

_ “Hey! You there! Kid!” The voice was barely a whisper, but Aster heard it all the same. He looked around wildly, trying to confirm whether he had just imagined it or not. _

_ “Over here! Look up by the chandelier!” The excited voice directed. _

_ Aster did as he was told…and got the surprise of his life. Floating casually next to the crystal chandelier was what looked like one of his cards-Destiny Hero Diamond Dude-except not in a corporeal form. All he could do was stare, wide-eyed and dumbfounded at the sight before him. _

_ “Hi there, little dude! Surprised to see me!? I would ask what’s up, but that’s pretty obvious with what you’re seeing right now, if you get my joke.” Diamond Dude greeted Aster. _

_ “That’s it. I’ve finally cracked. I’m seeing hallucinations now. I must be having a schizophrenic break from reality. But it’s exceptionally rare for the symptoms to start occurring during childhood years. Normally, they would show up in the early to mid-twenties.” Aster contemplated aloud to himself. _

_ “Wow… That’s some pretty heavy stuff for an eight-year old to be spouting! Guess your dad wasn’t kidding when he said you were some kind of child prodigy.” Diamond Dude said with a low whistle. _

_ Despite his skepticism, Aster couldn’t control his curiosity at the mention of his father. “You knew my father?” He asked hopefully. _

_ “Yeah! After all, he made us just for you. So, we heard some things from him every now and then back when he was still in the process of getting us ready as cards for the game with effects and stuff once we were drawn first.” Diamond Dude explained. _

_ Aster took a moment to bring himself back to reality before he got too entranced by this fantasy his own mind seemed to be making for him. “Of course you would… It will all be either things I know already or based on it.” Aster said in resignation. _

_ “Still doubting I’m real, huh? Well, guess I’ll have to prove to you that I am then. Here goes!” Diamond Dude said decisively. _

_ Without waiting for Aster to reply, Diamond Dude floated over to the kitchen. After taking a small magnet off the refrigerator, he then proceeded to throw it across the room. The magnet bounced off the large, glass flower vase at the end of the counter with a loud “ping” type of noise before ricocheting off of it to the floor. _

_ Appearing satisfied with his action, Diamond Dude turned back to Aster with a smug grin. “See? You didn’t do that yourself, kid.” He reasoned. _

_ Aster had to blink a couple times and clear his head before he could answer. There simply was no explaining away something like this. So, that had to mean that there was truth to Diamond Dude’s claim. But the question was: how? _

_ “But…how is this possible!? You’re supposed to be a card!” Aster questioned. _

_ “Simple. I’m a duel spirit. There are lots of for all sorts of different cards. We normally exist in the spirit world, but we’re also able to cross over to this dimension, circumstances permitting.” Diamond Dude answered simply, as if it was the easiest concept in the world to understand. _

_ “That doesn’t make sense, though. If duel spirits have always been able to come here, we would have known about you guys for a long time now. Scientists would have found you to run experiments and research studies on you. It would be all over the media!” Aster argued. _

_ “Not all humans can see us, you know. Only a handful every now and then in a lifetime can. It’s actually quite a rare gift. You just happen to be one of those select few individuals who have the ability.” Diamond Dude clarified. _

_ “Then how come I never saw you or any other duel spirits before until now?” Aster persisted. _

_ “You’ve always had the ability. It just hadn’t awakened yet. We can only be seen by the ones who can if they have a strong desire to do so. Think about it, Aster. Weren’t you wishing that you had someone else to talk to while you were all alone here just now before I showed up? In a way, you were calling out to us.” Diamond Dude explained. _

_ “I…guess that’s true.” Aster conceded. As unbelievable as all this seemed, he couldn’t deny it anymore after the proof he had seen along with the fact that he had been hoping for something like this. To deny it would be turning his back on his own heart’s desire. _

_ Appearing satisfied with Aster’s answer, Diamond Dude smiled in relief. “Well, now that I’ve finally made a believer out of you, it’s time you met the rest of the gang! Ok, guys! You can come on out now!” He declared. _

_ Aster watched as one by one, duel spirits for every type of Destiny Hero in his deck materialized in front of him. Excited murmurs and shouts filled the room around him as they all started conversing to each other simultaneously. _

_ “Aster, meet your deck! These are Drilldark, Celestial, Dusktopia, Defender and, well, let them do the rest of the introductions.” Diamond Dude started off. _

_ The Destiny Heroes surrounded Aster, all trying to talk to him at once. It seemed they were all trying to sell him their case of why they thought they were the strongest or most useful ones in the deck. For a few minutes, he was a bit overwhelmed until the chatter died down. It was only then that Aster remembered something important. _

_ “There was supposed to be one other card in this deck, but it was stolen. Please, do any of you remember what it was? It’s really important that I find it!” Aster asked desperately. _

_ Destiny Hero Dasher, who had been zooming across the floor excitedly, paused to consider Aster’s question before replying. “I’m afraid I…don’t remember? It’s strange, but if it’s another one of us, we’re usually aware of each other. I can’t say for sure, though. Maybe it was a spell or trap card? That might explain it.” He said with a puzzled expression. _

_ To Aster’s disappointment, the other Destiny Heroes appeared confused as well. He had thought that duel spirits who shared the same deck would know everything about it, but it only looked as if he were still where he started. _

_ “I see… If I at least knew its name, I’d have some kind of lead. But now I don't know how I’ll ever go about finding that…murderer!” Aster said in frustration, his voice rising at the end. _

_ “You mean the person who killed your father, right? I’m sorry about that, dude. We found out about that eventually. We’re just sorry that we weren’t around when it happened. Whoever did it must have known the spirit world’s curfew hours. Lucky bastard…” Diamond Dude said regretfully. _

_ “No, it’s not your fault. It’s something I need to take care of myself. Someday, at least.” Aster vowed to himself. _

_ “Well, then whenever that day comes, we’ll be there for you all the way, little dude.” Diamond Dude reassured Aster. The other Destiny Heroes nodded in agreement. _

_ “Really? You guys actually want to help me?” Aster asked a little disbelievingly. At the same time though, he couldn’t help feeling touched by their promise. _

_ “Of course we will! We’re your friends, and that’s what friends do!” Diamond Dude said with a smile. _

_ Aster couldn’t stop the wide smile from forming on his face. Now, he wouldn’t have to be alone anymore while he was here in the house. _

_ Xxx _

_ A few months had passed since Aster had met his newfound friends in the Destiny Heroes. Now, he no longer dreaded those long hours alone at home whenever the D was on tour and he couldn’t visit Sartorius and Sarina. The Destiny Heroes were always with him. Whether they just talked, hung out and played games, or went to the nearby park with him, they always had a good time together. Sure, there were a few of them with personalities that could get irritating at times (mainly Diamond Dude, Dreamer, and Decider). But to Aster, it felt more like how the good-natured teasing of a sibling might be than an actual annoyance. Overall, he was feeling a lot better with this new routine he had adopted thanks to the Destiny Heroes and was happy that they had entered his life. _

_ “Alright, I’m spinning the wheel now, and it looks like we have…left foot red!” Aster announced gleefully at the result that came up for the Twister game. _

_ “Aw, man! How am I gonna do this now!? Wish I had some longer legs now. Not to mention arms as well. Maybe they’ll come up with an alternate artwork for me. What do ya think?” Destiny Hero Dreamer said sheepishly as he struggled to position himself on the game mat. _

_ “Be serious. We’re one of a kind. Why should they!?” Destiny Hero Dystopia scoffed. _

_ “Hey, I can dream, can’t I?” Dreamer countered casually. _

_ Diamond Dude sighed in exasperation at Dreamer’s words. “We KNOW that! You’re Destiny Hero Dreamer and that’s all you do!” He complained. _

_ Aster, who had only paying attention vaguely to the Destiny Heroes’ usual banter, looked up in surprise when he heard a faint sound. He had to strain his ears to hear it, but it was definitely there: a small, weak voice. It almost sounded as if it was crying out for help. _

_ “Did you guys hear that?” Aster asked carefully. _

_ “Huh? Hear what?” Diamond Dude asked curiously. In answer to his question, the cry returned, only a little stronger this time. _

_ “That.” Aster answered simply. _

_ “You’re right. It’s faint, but it sounds like a duel spirit.” Destiny Hero Dominance agreed. _

_ “In this house? But you guys are the only cards around here. D always takes his decks with him when he leaves to go on tour.” Aster said in confusion. _

_ “Duel spirits don’t necessarily need their material forms to exist freely in the human realm. But it’s also hard to judge the exact distance from where they are just going by how close or far away they sound. It could be in another house or somewhere else outside altogether for all we know.” Dominance explained. _

_ “Well, I say we look around and see if we can find it!” Diamond Dude declared. _

_ With everyone in agreement, Aster and the Destiny Heroes began to search the house. After a few minutes, they discovered that the sound seemed to be stronger upstairs, so they started combing that area, searching inside every room they passed. _

_ Once they reached the door to the D’s room, Aster paused. “I’m not supposed to go in here…” He warned the Destiny Heroes. _

_ “This is no time for cold feet, kid! That spirit could be in here right now and needing our help! We have to check!” Diamond Dude urged Aster. _

_ Against his better judgement, Aster slowly opened the door to the room. Once inside, he couldn’t help looking around in interest. Someone’s room could tell a lot about them, but if the D’s room was any indication, then there wasn’t much to tell about him. The walls were a simple, non-descript shade of beige white, with nothing hanging on them. The carpet matched with the same dull color. Even all of the pieces of furniture-the bed, the small armchair in the corner, the nightstand, and the chest of drawers, the small desk and bookshelf-had no remarkable design to them. Even the bed’s comforter and the hanging curtains were the same plain shade of blueish-gray. The room had no personality to it. It reminded Aster horribly of the rooms at Brookdale. _

_ “Boring!~ Looks like somebody could use a decorator!” Diamond Dude joked. _

_ “Enough! We’re not here for that! We came to see if the spirit was in here, remember!?” Aster scolded Diamond Dude. Privately, he couldn’t help agreeing with him, though. _

_ “Alright, alright.” Diamond Dude grumbled. _

_ Aster paused to listen. And then, he heard the same weak, far-off-sounding cry. Only this time, it sounded even closer. Trying his best to follow it, he headed over to the nightstand. Just as he was about to open its small drawer, he was interrupted by a sharp voice. _

_ “What do you think you’re doing in here!?” The D demanded coldly. _

_ Aster whirled around at the sound of his adoptive father’s voice. The D was standing in the doorway, arms folded with a frosty glare directed towards Aster. _

_ Aster racked his brain for a convincing lie. To think of something, ANYTHING that could get him out of this. The Destiny Heroes had vanished from sight, so he knew he was on his own here. _

_ “D! I, uh, didn’t know that you were coming back today. I was, um, just looking for a book that I thought you might have that I thought might help me with my homework. I’m sorry…” Aster lied nervously. He realized that right now, he was actually afraid of his adoptive father. _

_ “And you thought you’d find that in here?” The D asked skeptically, his eyebrows raised slightly. _

_ “Yeah, well…” Aster trailed off helplessly with a gesture towards the bookshelf. _

_ “No, it’s fine. I didn’t mean to scare you, Aster. I just wasn’t expecting you to be in here. I’m not angry. But in the future, I’d prefer it if you don’t come in here without asking me first. But now that I’m back, why don’t we go downstairs so we can talk there? God knows I could use some coffee after that flight.” The D suggested. _

_ Xxx _

_ Once they were both seated comfortably in the living room, the D proceeded to tell Aster about his trip. But Aster found himself zoning out periodically, his mind still on the possible nearby duel spirit. He hadn’t heard the cries anymore since the D had returned. Had it all been in his mind to begin with? Or was it somewhere else outside of the house? _

_ “Aster, are you listening to me?” The D’s voice broke Aster out of his thoughts. _

_ “Oh! Um, sorry. I guess I was spacing out there for a minute. What did you say again?” Aster apologized quickly, trying to make it look like he was interested in the conversation. _

_ The D sighed wearily at Aster’s response. “It’s not important now. But Aster, are you alright? You’ve been acting out of sorts since I came back. It’s like your mind is on another planet, almost. Is there anything you’d like to tell me about?” He asked curiously. _

_ Aster hesitated. He noticed the D looking at the Twister game on the floor with a confused expression. Should he tell him about the Destiny Heroes? Surely, the D would think that he was crazy, and the last thing Aster wanted was to go back to Brookdale again. Talking duel spirits couldn’t be a good sign of one’s mental health to someone who couldn’t see them. But at the same time, a part of Aster desperately wanted to be able to confide in him about this. Despite the fact that he still didn’t fell particularly close to his guardian, Aster thought that maybe he could change that if he showed that he trusted him enough to start telling him more. _

_ “If I tell you, you’re going to think that I sound crazy. But I just can’t find any other explanation for this…” Aster said reluctantly. _

_ “Aster, I won’t think you’re crazy; I promise. I’m here to listen and help you. So, if you’re worried that I’ll send you back to Brookdale, don’t be. I know that things are different for you now. Not easy, but different. But I know you’re not feeling as bad as you used to either. So please, tell me what’s going on.” The D said in a somewhat softer tone than he usually used towards Aster. _

_ Without thinking about it further, Aster proceeded to tell all. He explained everything: how he’d first met Diamond Dude and the other Destiny Heroes, how he’d proven to Aster that they were real, even everything about duel spirits. The only part Aster left out was how he had been looking for one right before the D had come back. The D listened intently, never saying anything to interrupt or any comments in between. _

_ Finally, once Aster was finished explaining everything, he looked expectantly at the D, dreading his response. “You think I’m crazy, don’t you?” He asked bluntly. He didn’t like the look that the D was giving him right now. His gaze was almost one of pity. _

_ “No, Aster. I don’t think you’re crazy. Not at all. But I think that when our minds are stressed enough, they can play tricks on us to show us what we’d like to believe is true, or at least some representation of it. We just unconsciously choose to believe in it, even though we’re still aware of the real truth. You miss your father terribly; there’s no denying that. And the Destiny Hero deck is the one thing that makes you feel the closest to him since he made them just for you.” The D explained. _

_ Aster thought about it carefully. He didn’t want to believe the D’s explanation. But in a way, it made sense. Hadn’t Diamond Dude even told him that he and the other heroes had only appeared to him because he had thought about wanting more friends? _

_ “So, you’re saying that I’ve just been…unintentionally imagining all this to make myself feel better?” Aster asked carefully. _

_ “Well, I’m no psychologist, but I guess you can put it that way. But Aster, you have to understand that this is something you need to let go of. I know that you’re sane. But if anyone else ever knew that you were thinking like this, they might not be as understanding about it as I am.” The D cautioned Aster. _

_ “But as long as I don’t tell anyone else, why does it matter?” Aster questioned. _

_ “Because it’s not healthy for you either way. And who’s to say you wouldn’t let it slip by accident? Then what would people think of you? Do you want to go back to Brookdale?” The D asked. His last question almost sounded more like a threat. _

_ “No…” Aster answered in a small, frightened tone. _

_ “Then you need to forget about all of this. I know it’s sad, but you’ll only be living in the past by letting yourself go along with this duel spirit fantasy. Because at the end of the day, that’s all it is. You need to move on and start looking towards the future! I’ve told you before, you are extremely intelligent and gifted, Aster. There’s a whole world of possibilities out there for people like you. In a few years down the road once you’re finished with college, you are going to have so much going for you. That’s why you need to start letting go of the past.” The D reasoned. _

_ When Aster still hadn’t said anything after his speech, the D sighed lightly. He then spoke up again. “I blame myself for part of this. I know that I haven’t been around a lot lately and of course you’ve gotten lonely at times. I’m going to start changing that, though. I’m taking two weeks off from work. No duels, no tours, no work, just us. We can even take a vacation somewhere for a while, if you want. How does that sound to you, Aster?” The D proposed. _

_ Aster couldn’t believe it. This was what he had been hoping for since he had first gotten here. Not a replacement for his father, but something to make it feel like he was part of a real family again. _

_ “Yes, I would like that very much! Thank you!” Aster said happily. He had to force himself to hold back the tears that were threatening fall from his eyes. _

_ “I’m glad you feel that way. It’s time that I started spending more time with my family.” The D said in what he hoped was a genuine-sounding tone of voice. _

_ Xxx _

_ The D was sitting casually at the desk in his room while he went over the deck that he had used during his last match. The light from the small, overhead lamp glowed brightly over the cards spread out in front of them to help illuminate the darkness that had fallen over the room. _

_ Realizing that something was still missing, the D got up and made his way over to the nightstand drawer. He then removed a small box, eyeing it with a greedy expression. He didn’t always take his prized possession with him for every Pro League tour he went on. He didn’t seem to need it to win anymore thanks to the powers that had been bestowed upon him. Plus, it was a hassle to always have to modify the memories of the duelists who were unlucky enough to have had it used against them. But the D was still very much attached to his most prized Duel Monsters card all the same. _

_ A voice came from the card, the same voice that had been calling for help earlier that day. Only this time, it was filled with fury. “You bastard…” The duel spirit of Destiny Hero Plasma managed to hiss in accusation. _

_ The D chuckled in amusement at Plasma’s anger. “That was quite a close call we had today, hmm? I can’t have you being discovered like that, though. It would ruin all the fun.” He said casually. _

_ “You won’t get away with this forever! My true master will eventually re-claim me and fulfill his destiny to put an end to your evil once and for all!” Plasma vowed. _

_ “Your so-called “master” is nothing but a weak, frightened child! He will NEVER defeat me, and the Light will rule over all eventually!” The D declared evilly. His face had taken on a twisted, manic type of grin. _

_ Plasma only had the strength to mutter a few curses towards the D as he was shut back into the box. Clearly, he wouldn’t be able to leave the card in the house while he was gone anymore. He had thought that blocking the memory of Plasma from the rest of the Destiny Heroes would be enough, but they had proved to be more resourceful than he had thought. Starting tomorrow, he would have to find a much more appropriate hiding place for Plasma. Like his safety deposit box at the bank. Meanwhile, he would relax and play dad to Aster for a while. As long as he gave him the illusion every now and then of just enough love and hope, the boy would continue to trust him. And that way, the day would never come where he would suspect the real truth… _

_ Xxx _

_ Aster stood quietly in his room, staring intently at his deck case where he kept the Destiny Hero cards. He was still hesitant about doing this. Maybe he should at least wait and tell Sartorius and Sarina everything first? He hadn’t so far because he liked the idea of the Destiny Heroes being his “secret friends” that nobody else knew about. But if anyone would believe him, surely they would with being able to predict the future. At the same time though, he was afraid of the D’s words about how he should never risk telling anyone. What if they didn’t believe him either? Or even worse, they could stop talking to Aster altogether if they thought he was crazy for claiming that things like duel spirits were real. No, he couldn’t risk losing the only friends he would have left. _

_ After taking a few deep breaths to steady his nerves, Aster spoke. “Guys, I need to talk to you.” He said seriously. _

_ “What’s up? It’s a shame we never got to see whether that duel spirit was hanging around here like we thought it might be. Tomorrow, we’ll have to-“ Diamond Dude started to babble on until he was cut off. _

_ “I can’t be with you guys anymore.” Aster blurted out. _

_ “Wait, what? Oh, ha, ha! Good joke, dude! You really got me there for a second!” Diamond Dude said breezily, brushing off Aster’s words. _

_ “I mean it! After today, I can’t risk it anymore. I could tell that D already thinks I’m losing my marbles as it is. I don’t want to have to go back to Brookdale!” Aster said in frustration. _

_ “Aster, calm down and think about this. We’ve proven to you time and again already how we’re real. Of course some human without the ability to see us is going to react that way. You shouldn’t let his words sway you from what you know is true!” Dominance insisted. _

_ “Yeah! And he’s an adult, too! They’re always the first ones to judge everything and not want to look beyond what they are familiar with!” Blademaster chimed in. _

_ “It’s not the way I want it… But please understand, I can’t do this anymore!” Aster said desperately. He could feel hot tears forming in the corners of his eyes, threatening to spill over and betray him unless he ended this now. _

_ “But Aster! We’re your friends! And we promised that we’d help you find out who killed your dad, remember!? You can’t just forget about us! We’re a team!” Diamond Dude pleaded. _

_ “No, no! Just SHUT UP already! YOU’RE NOT REAL!” Aster shouted in agony.  _

_ Before the Destiny Heroes could protest any further, Aster took his deck case with them and shoved it viciously into the shoe box he had prepared for it. Then, after taping the lid shut, he placed the box in the back of his closet, far behind the rest of his belonging he kept in there. _

_ Once he had shut the closet door, Aster leaned his back against it and slid down until he was slumped on the floor. He was breathing hard, as if he had just run a marathon. After he had calmed himself down somewhat, he tried to reason with himself. He had done the right thing. The D was right, he couldn’t live in the past forever. He would be okay. He still had Sartorius and Sarina, and the D was going to start making an effort of them being a real family. But despite telling himself all this, Aster still couldn’t seem to ease the pain in his heart that felt as if he had lost a part of himself somehow… _

End Flashback

“So, come on. Whaddaya say? We could be a team again just like before! Heck, you don’t even have to talk to us if you don’t want to. Just let us help you out in the duels at least, Aster! Cuz no offense, but you could use some extra help against that Cyber Dragon guy. Trust me; he’s more than just a good duelist. His bond with his cards is unlike anything I’ve seen before. Oh, and let’s not forget your little tag duel tomorrow. You could definitely use some real teamwork there, because let me tell you, you and your girlfriend have got some  _ serious  _ trust issues that you need to work on.” Diamond Dude rambled on.

“She’s not my girlfriend! And I don’t need you guys to win any duels!” Aster said in irritation.

“Aster, ignoring Diamond Dude for the moment, you can’t keep shutting us away like this forever. The time will come when you’ll need to face the reality of our existence head-on.” Dominance tried to reason.

“No, I won’t, because you guys aren’t a part of reality to begin with. And now, you are all going back into the deck.” Aster said firmly. 

Ignoring the pleas and protests from the Destiny Heroes, he practically shoved the cards back into his deck case and pushed it back into the dresser drawer, slamming it shut.

Aster threw himself back down onto the armchair, determined to forget what had just happened and focus on the duel tomorrow instead. As much as the duelist in him was dying to try out the Destiny Heroes in a real duel, he was still frightened of the fact that the link of communication between them hadn’t disappeared in the slightest after years. What if he really was in danger of developing full-blown schizophrenia? His father’s death had been traumatic enough, so who was to say that this was just a warning sign that another event could be the trigger that would truly start it for him? After all, he was not past the cut-off range of years for the illness.

“No… I am  _ not  _ crazy!” Aster told himself firmly. All he could do was to keep away from the Destiny Heroes and keep going on as a duelist like the D had taught him to. He  _ would _ get through the tag duel tomorrow, and he didn’t need anyone’s help to do it.

  
  
  
  



End file.
